MotoGP: Aussie Jack Miller has thankfully walked away without serious injury after a scary crash in the opening lap of the Malaysian GP
‘Will never do a s**t manoeuvre’: World champ wants a clean fight , but there’s a template that might turn the tide
Ultimately, Lorenzo failed. But it was the not trying that he couldn’t live with. It remains to be seen if Bagnaia feels the same. Marquez qualified on pole for the 30-lap race, but Lorenzo bullied his way by on lap one and then took the lead from Pedrosa on the next lap. In prime position to play the game his way, Lorenzo then dramatically slowed the pace to keep the rest of the field in the frame. Marquez’s pole time gave way to Lorenzo setting pedestrian lap times in the mid 1:32s. It was a race that was being run at, comparatively speaking, walking pace.
Lorenzo, sensing that the pack wasn’t fast enough to keep up, immediately switched tactics and upped his pace to tempt Marquez into chasing him for a win he didn’t need, but one where adrenaline might overrule common sense. On lap 12, Lorenzo immediately went 0.8secs faster than he had all race and cleared off. Marquez didn’t take the bait as Lorenzo’s lead ballooned to three seconds. Pedrosa made it back to second, but Marquez had Rossi and the rest well behind.
“It was difficult to stay in third position, something inside me was saying ‘you need to fight’ but I was clever, I understood the championship was more important than one race.Marquez took the 2013 crown as a 20-year-old, but Lorenzo made him earn it. The maths were rough enough for Lorenzo coming into the 2013 title-decider, but Bagnaia’s task this weekend in Barcelona is statistically steeper.
Ever since Martin reclaimed the championship lead after Bagnaia crashed with Alex Marquez as they were disputing third place at round 12 in Aragon –– Martin’s lead has never grown to more than the 25 points for a Grand Prix victory, but never dipped below the difference between first and second in a Sunday main race.In the past seven rounds, Martin has outscored Bagnaia by precisely one point, showing the enormity of the world champion’s task this weekend in Catalunya.
Bagnaia’s teammate Enea Bastianini, on the same GP24 ridden by the frontrunners, rounded out the Sepang podium in third, but was 10.4secs behind after just 19 laps. Over 22secs separated Bagnaia from 10th-placed Augusto Fernandez , meaning Martin could cruise home to second place and only cede five points to Bagnaia on a day where the Italian wrapped up a landmark 10th victory in one season.
Pedestrian Lap Times Title Protagonists Famous Victories Malaysia Malaysia Review Francesco Bagnaia Rider/Bike Combination Eastern Asia World Championship Seasons Gp/Getty Images World Champion Barcelona Europe Japan Final-Round Tactic Augusto Fernandez Final Race Pole Time Premier-Class World Champion Moral Stance South-Eastern Asia Southern Europe Press Conference Alex Marquez Enea Bastianini Province Of Barcelona Thailand Agence France Presse Oceania Jorge Lorenzo Rapid Rookie Province Of Valencia Enemies Outside Front-Row Seat Three-Time Champion Chasing Pack Getty Images Inc. Matt Clayton Australia And New Zealand Premier-Class Wins Top Half-Dozen Riders Clean Fight Valentino Rossi Sprint Race Format Spain Desperate Measures Asia History Shows Title Rivals Stun Series Lead Routine Race Weekend World Title Pit Talk San Marino Australia Desperate Time Terrifying First-Lap Crash Valencia Indonesia
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