Recapping the Sunday MotoGP/2/3 action from Sepang – Reports – Images – Results – Points

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round 19 – Sepang
Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia – Sunday

The Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia lived up to all its promises, with a tense and closely-fought Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix. This 19th and penultimate round of the 2024 season did not see a champion crowned, but the battle for victory was thrilling, particularly over the first half of the race.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) headed out to keep his World Championship hopes alive with a win at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, and he did just that. It was a sensational ride from Bagnaia, who put the hammer down after a breathtaking battle with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in the opening laps that will go down in history as one of the best duels the sport has ever seen. From there it was a cat and mouse to the finish, with Bagnaia finding enough to keep Martin at bay and reduce the gap to 24 points by the flag. And remember, the maximum score per weekend is now 37…

Behind them, Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was able to grab the final spot on the podium in a crucial day for ‘The Beast’, who moved a step closer as he continues his fight for third position in the Championship against the very same Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) who crashed out from third after getting a box office seat for the duel at the front.

MotoGP Race Report

Bagnaia  and Martin were side by side on the charge into the opening turn and it was clear from the outset that no quarter was going to be given and nobody was going to be playing it safe, the pair almost touched even before they got to turn one. However, a frightening crash at turn two brought out the red flags and sent riders back to their boxes.

Left stricken on the track was Jack Miller as medics attended to the Australian in what initially looked like a very serious incident. All precautions were taken to immobilise Jack at the scene and transport him to the medical centre. A huge relief for all and plenty of cheers from the crowd when the 29-year-old was later seen walking down pit-lane under his own steam and raising his hand to the crowd.

Fabio Quartararo and Brad Binder had also gone down quite heavily.  Quartararo was able to make the restart but after the out-lap the South African rolled back into his box nursing his shoulder.

The incident was a result of somewhat a domino effect after Alex Marquez and Brad Binder touched, the rear of the Gresini Ducati was impacted by Binder’s KTM, which caused Binder to lift up and change his trajectory to the left, which then saw him make contact with Quartararo, who in turn then made contact with Miller, whose head appeared to almost go under the rear wheel of the Yamaha. Quartararo and Binder were then taken down after being impacted by Miller’s machine.

After that pique of adrenaline, the lights went out again, with Bagnaia making an incredible launch on take two, catapulting into the lead on the run to Turn 1. Martin was forced to slot into second, with Marc Marquez battling into the podium places on the opening lap. No quarter was being given between Bagnaia and Martin, the Spaniard made his first move on the opening lap, with Bagnaia instantly responding as the title fight kicked into another gear.

Bagnaia and Martin continued to lock horns, trading places and trading blows in the opening stages of a spectacular Malaysian GP.

The tension was high as the lead continued to swap hands at every opportunity, with just inches separating them on the circuit.

Paint was exchanged between the title rivals in the opening stages including one near bash on the straight, with Marc Marquez watching on from behind in third place.

It was a true spectacle, with the two title contenders absolutely going at it… and still able to somehow pull a gap on those behind.

By Lap 5 though, Bagnaia had made it stick and a small mistake from Martin saw a sliver of breathing space become the fastest lap from Bagnaia as he got the hammer down. Now it became a battle of a different kind.

Some more drama then hit near the front, and “What will Marc Marquez do?” got an earlier answer than the eight-time World Champion intended as he slid out at the final turn, rejoining down the order.

That left Bastianini in third as he’d pulled away from the group on the chase but not homed in on the front battle.

Behind, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) was fending off Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) for P4, and Quartararo wasn’t far off them either.

And then. Ater it could have seemed a foregone conclusion at the front, the gap suddenly started to come down. From over two seconds it disappeared in a tenth here and a tenth there, with Bagnaia either struggling or teasing. Just as it got below 1.5s, however, Martin made a crucial mistake at Turn 9 – dropping a further eight-tenths behind. The possibility had proven strong but Martin didn’t falter with the temptation as much as Bagnaia may have been hoping, forced to settle for second but seemingly content to do so as his points advantage remains sizeable.

At the front, Bagnaia didn’t falter either, crossing the line to win by 3.141s on a critical day in the 2024 MotoGP World Championship.

This is Ducati’s 18th win so far this season, beating their record in the class set last year. It’s their 16th win in a row which is a new personal record for the Bologna factory. Ducati is the first manufacturer with 16 MotoGP wins in a row since Honda’s run of 22 from Malaysia 1997 to Assen 1998.

Bastianini made one error to halt what seemed like it could be a possible charge, wide at the final corner, but kept it on the road thereafter to take that third place, the 50th podium of his Grand Prix career.

Behind, Alex Marquez claimed fourth, with the Gresini rider continuing to defend from Acosta in the closing stages of the Grand Prix. 1.469s separated the duo at the line as Quartararo heroically finished inside the top six after a stunning ride from the Frenchman on the restart, taking his and Yamaha’s best GP result of the season so far. Quartararo placed ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team-mate Alex Rins who grabbed eighth to make it Yamaha’s first double top ten of the season.

The final spots on the top 10 spots were taken by Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) as Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LRC) bagged 11th.

Marc Marquez had charged back up to 12th after his earlier spill, ending a strong recovery ride with a few points.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Morbidelli, and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) scored the final point on Sunday.

Bagnaia recorded the fastest lap of the race at 1m59.118 on lap five. Martin’s best was 1m59.338 on lap four while Marc Marquez was next quickest on 1m59.397.  Bastianini fourth quickest on 1m59.723 ahead of Acosta on 1m59.763. Alex Marquez and Franco Morbidelli the only other riders to lap under the two-minute mark in the race. Quartararo and Rins both managed bests of 2m00.1s on their Yamaha machines to be just ahead of the fastest Aprilia rider, Maverick Vinales.  The quickest Honda rider in the race was Johann Zarco on 2m00.400.

With Valencia suffering from incredible flooding the finale is expected to be moved to Catalunya, but no official statement has yet been forthcoming to guarantee that scenario.  With a 24-point advantage over Bagnaia, Martin has a chance to clinch the title in the final Tissot Sprint of the season if he scores two more points than Bagnaia.

Sepang MotoGP Race Results

Sepang MotoGP Top Speeds Across Weekend

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) made an incredible start, launching into P1 on the run to Turn 1. However, Vietti then made a key move, snatching the lead at Turn 1, with OnlyFans American Racing Team’s Ramirez and Navarro in pursuit. Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) also began to work hard at the start, charging into P2 and demoting Ramirez to third.

Ramirez would not wait long to respond, beginning to duel with Ogura before making the move stick at the end of Lap 1. Meanwhile, Vietti put down the hammer, stretching his gap to over one second in a stunning display. It was an unbelievable pace from Vietti, a rhythm which pushed the Italian to the limit as he made a mistake at Turn 1.

Vietti’s lead was now diminished, with Ramirez glued to his rear tyre as Ogura and Navarro began to duel. Navarro made the move stick on Lap 7, demoting Ogura to third as he aimed to claim his first podium since 2022. Navarro’s charge did not stop there as he slid past Ramirez on Lap 9. Then, he soon set his sights on leader Vietti.

The battle for the final spot on the podium continued, with Ogura responding on Lap 10 and snatching third position. However, Ogura was stopped in his tracks on Lap 11 as a bike issue caused the World Champion to end his race early.

Once Dixon entered P3, the Briy began to extend his margin to half a second over Ramirez. Meanwhile, Navarro lost ground to Vietti at the front, as Vietti regained composure and extended his lead to one second.

Further back, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) continued his recovery ride from P13 on the grid, carving his way to ninth. Canet soon found his way through on Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2) as he took eighth and set his sights on Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P7.

On the final lap, nobody could match Vietti’s relentless pace, allowing the Italian to clinch his third victory of the season after defeating Navarro. It was a stunning ride for Navarro to bag second place while Guevara took the final spot on the podium after Dixon briefly slowed down at the start of the final lap.

Dixon held onto fourth across the line, fending off Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) as the Italian rounded out the top five spots on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ramirez claimed sixth, unable to hold onto the top five in the closing laps. Öncü held onto P7 and in the end held onto a comfortable margin over Canet.

Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) rounded out the top 10 as Gonzalez dropped to P11. The Spaniard placed ahead of teammate Albert Arenas as Alonso Lopez (Sync SpeedUp), Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and Elf Marc VDS Racing Team’s Filip Salač secured the final points on race day.

Senna Agius started from 18th on the grid with a determined focus to strengthen his tilt for “Rookie of the Year” but unfortunately the Australia was involved in a crash with two other riders on the first lap, which resulted in a very early retirement. Now the youngster’s hopes are pinned on the grand final.

Senna Agius – DNF

“Unfortunately, I was involved in an incident in the scramble on the first lap in turn nine, which caused me to go down. Everything happened so fast but we were all trying to avoid each other. It’s devastating. The last few races have been pretty hard to comprehend. There’s not much more to say. Everyone is pushing incredibly hard and this isn’t where we should be. We just have to work towards the next race where I need some redemption.”

A similar fate befell Senna’s countryman Harrison Voight. The Queenslander also not finishing the opening lap.

Sepang Moto2 Race Results

Sepang Moto2 Top Speeds Across Weekend

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) made history at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia after racing to an unbelievable 13th victory of the season. It was Alonso’s sixth consecutive win, but he was made to work hard by second place Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) after the Japanese rider missed out by a mere 0.088s at the line. Comeback King Furusato produced a fine ride to beat the hard-charging third place finisher Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), as the Spaniard stood on the box for the first time since Aragon.

Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) claimed the holeshot on the run to Turn 1, snatching P1 after an incredible launch. Ortola was chased by David Almansa (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) on the opening lap, with Almansa charging from ninth to second.

Daniel Holgado was looking for good points to cement his second place in the championship but the GASGAS rider went down as Alonso dropped outside the top 10. Meanwhile, Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez and Angel Piqueras also had a disappointing end to their weekends as both retired due to mechanical issues.

Furusato had his opportunity up front, with the recovering Alonso in pursuit. The gloves were off, with Alonso and Ortola pouncing on Furusato’s mistake at Turn 14. Furusato responded, finding a gap in Ortola’s armour as he returned to second place.

Joel Kelso also had his hat in the ring for a podium, the Australian leading laps four to seven.

Tension was high at the front, with Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) entering the podium fight as the Dutchman began to duel for P3. However, Veijer had Rueda on his tailpipes and showing incredible late-race pace to get into the podium frame.

On the final lap, Alonso was under pressure from Furusato but held onto P1, crossing the line to claim a stunning 13th victory of the season. The Colombian crossed the line ahead of Furusato as Rueda was able to fend off Ortola, increasing his margin to 0.996s at the chequered flag.

David Alonso – P1

“Everything I do is because I feel it. If I celebrate it is because I feel it, and today I did not feel like celebrating. I just wanted to cross the finish line and show the Valencian flag. It has been hard to be professional and do my job this weekend. I have achieved this victory thanks to my team, because since they are far from their families, at least I can offer them this win, but now there are more important things. Today the records are in the background, the result did not matter, I was racing for them.”

Ortola took fourth, finishing less than one second adrift from victory and crossing the line in front of Veijer. The Dutchman rounded out the top five and is now tied on points with Holgado for P3 in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) ended the race in sixth, still with the leading group and taking the flag only 1.2-seconds behind the winner to bag solid points ahead of Ryusei Yamanaka.

Joel Kelso – P6

“Close but no cigar.  To be honest, after Friday we were in trouble. I was happy with my progress through Saturday to find myself a solid grid position. I was super happy to lead some laps today and fight at the front! We made a smal mistake and just weren’t able to get that position back. Nevertheless P6 isn’t the worst result and we learnt a lot in the race and are really excited to give it one more crack at the final round!
My heart and thoughts also go out to everyone affected in Valencia, I have spent lots of time there during my years in Europe and it breaks my heart seeing what the town is going through.”

That ten points for Kelso strengthened his claim for a top ten finish in the championship.

Stefano Nepa was much further back in eighth ahead of Matteo Bertelle (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team), while Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounded out the 10 as Almansa finished in 11th.

Starting from P20 on the grid, Jacob Roulstone did not take the ideal start, losing one more position in the opening lap to exit it in P21. He struggled a bit to find his way through the busy corners, but after a few laps, he started to settle more into his race pace and we saw him moving up in the standing. After five laps, he was already in the top 15 in 14th behind Luca Lunetta, a position in which he settled for a while. Ten laps to go, still in P14 close to rookie rival Lunetta. Through the difficulties of the extreme heat, the rookie held on with his race pace, trying to stick with the front group, but Lunetta made the gap, as he was more than 4 seconds away with just five laps remaining. At that time, Roulstone was in 12th after technical issues at the front, a position he kept until the end as the gap to the rider ahead was too big to reduce. That’s another four points scored for the rookie, who stands fifteenth in the championship heading to the season finale.

Jacob Roulstone – P12

“I am happy with how we have wrapped up the Malaysian Grand Prix. I am satisfied with the start I got although I got hurt at some point and fell down to 21st, which I was obviously disappointed with. I put my head down, refocused, and then I was able to work up some positions, I was catching the guys in front while leaving a good gap behind me. At some point, I made a small mistake and lost contact with the rider ahead, so it became a long lonely race for us, but we tried to keep our consistency at each lap. Thanks to the team for their hard work, and I am looking forward to the final round.”

Sepang Moto3 Race Results

Sepang Moto3 Top Speeds Across

Moto3 Championship Standings