Bagnaia storms to Thai GP victory ahead of errant Martin as gripping title battle goes on
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) converted his pole position to a victory in the latest championship twist with a defensive masterclass at the Thai GP.
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) settled for second place after a mid-race mistake lost him the lead to his championship rival, who cut five points out of his lead.
A dramatic Thai GP saw the championship rivals come into close contact throughout the wet race, but Bagnaia prevailed amid drama around them involving Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP).
Marquez had been in contention for the victory, battling hard with Bagnaia, but he crashed out of the fight after pushing his limits.
Rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) claimed third place in a last-lap extravaganza, settling a fierce three-way fight for the last podium slot.
Despite his victory, Bagnaia got off to a rocky start at the Thai GP as he wobbled off the line and swiftly lost the lead to Martin, who stormed past.
Martin had an amazing start to the race, but fell under pressure from his rival, who immediately got to work, attempting to squeeze around the Spaniard.
The championship leader was forced to shut the door on Bagnaia, cutting it very close to the Ducati Lenovo rider as they went wheel-to-wheel into Turn 7.
Marquez managed to climb up to third place on the opening lap, ready to insert himself in the battle for the win after his tyres warmed up in the wet conditions.
The tricky conditions saw wet spots littered throughout the Chang International Circuit, including an intense spray for the first half of the race.
Martin led the first act of the race, but made a crucial error running wide out of the final corner on Lap 5 that lost him the lead and second place.
He struggled in a wet patch of the final corner, slipping up and running off track, while both Bagnaia and Marquez stormed past to claim the positions.
This put Marquez in contention for the victory as he quickened up the pace to cut down Bagnaia’s lead to just 0.1s as the fastest man on track.
The six-time world champion made multiple attempts to overtake the defending champion, but it was Bagnaia who prevailed and kept his Ducati on track.
On Lap 14, Marquez crashed out of second place as he lost his bike on the slippery curb heading into the final sector, gifting Bagnaia a comfortable victory.
Martin hoped to close the gap to the Italian ahead, but his attempts were swiftly shut down as Bagnaia picked up the pace and cruised to victory as chaos unfolded behind.
An intense four-way battle for the last podium spot saw Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Pedro Acosta trade positions each lap.
The fight lasted until the very last moment, with the KTMs defending hard from a fiery Acosta, who was eager to secure a podium finish.
They went wheel-to-wheel into the last lap, but it was Acosta who came out on top with a glorious fight against Miller that gave fans some last-lap drama.
Bagnaia’s victory cuts the gap to Martin down to 17 points in the riders’ standings as he picks up a ninth win in a brilliant MotoGP season.
The battle is likely to go down to the final race in Valencia as Martin needs to finish in second place in every race to secure his first championship.
Bagnaia will need to win every race, or finish ahead of Martin from here, if he wants to claim his third world championship in Valencia.
Rider of the day: Francesco Bagnaia
Although he got off to a wobbly start, Bagnaia was the man on track to beat today.
Bagnaia got his elbows out immediately off the line, bringing a serious fight to Martin, who overtook him on the starting straight.
The defending champion lingered closely behind the Spaniard, waiting and preying on him to slip up, which he eventually did.
Bagnaia was right there to collect the ashes and he cruised past to come closer to victory.
He held off a fierce Marquez who cut his lead down to 0.1s, showing an excellent defensive display against the six-time world champion.
After Marquez crashed out, Bagnaia picked up the pace to protect himself from Martin, who hoped to usurp the victory.
Bagnaia won his ninth race of the season as the king of Sundays, coming closer to clinching his third world championship.
Where the race was won and lost
1/26 MARTIN LEADS OFF THE LINE – Jorge Martin gets off to an amazing start as Francesco Bagnaia wobbles off the line, they come to blows immediately between the championship rivals as they go wheel to wheel into Turn 7.
5/27 BAGNAIA INHERITS THE LEAD – Francesco Bagnaia inherits the lead of the Thai GP after capitalising on a mistake from Jorge Martin, who ran wide coming out of the final corner.
14/26 MARQUEZ CRASHES OUT – Marc Marquez crashes out of the contention for victory in the Thai GP, losing his bike on the curb heading into the final sector!
17/26 BAGNAIA LEADS COMFORTABLY – Francesco Bagnaia leads the pack around the Chang International Circuit as he retains a solid 2.9s gap to Jorge Martin. Martin can’t seem to find extra pace and will likely settle for second place.
23/26 BATTLE FOR THIRD – A fierce battle ensues for third place as Pedro Acosta battles the KTMs in a three-way fight that took the spotlight.
26/26 BAGNAIA CLAIMS THE THAI GP VICTORY – Francesco Bagnaia claims victory at the Thai GP after an excellent defensive masterclass saw him capitalise on Jorge Martin’s mistake and cruise to victory.
