Sepang
Ducati MotoGP rider Pecco Bagnaia fought off a stern challenge from Enea Bastianini to win the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, but a Fabio Quartararo podium kept the title fight going into Valencia.
Both Bagnaia (ninth on the grid) and defending champion Quartararo (12th on the grid) made spectacular starts to the race, the former very late on the brakes into Turn 1 to move up into second on corner exit while the latter vaulted himself to sixth before lunging on Yamaha team-mate Franco Morbidelli, who appeared to be instructed on his dashboard not to put up a big fight.
Poleman Jorge Martin, keeping the lead, swiftly established a cushion over Bagnaia in the early laps, with the Italian instead having to worry about fighting off his 2023 team-mate Bastianini – who had rebuffed an attack off the line from Marc Marquez but had left himself vulnerable to Bagnaia in the process.
Though Bastianini hounded Bagnaia relentlessly, the three Ducatis out front quickly built up a big buffer over the chasing pack, even as Quartararo found his way past the relatively-struggling Marquez as the Honda man ran wide at Turn 1.
But while Martin himself was in the process of breaking away from his fellow Desmosedicis, Quartararo was promoted to a podium position when the Pramac man slid off at the fast Turn 5 while leading by over a second, his Desmosedici GP22 shredded as it tumbled through the gravel.
