2024 Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang - Sprint Race Results

3 days ago

crash.net

2024 Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang - Sprint Race ResultsPosRiderNatTeamTime/Diff1Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP24)19m 49.23s2Marc MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP23)+0.913s3Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP24)+2.010s4Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP23)+6.575s5Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+7.917s6Franco MorbidelliITAPramac Ducati (GP24)+8.957s7Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+11.015s8Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+11.834s9Pedro AcostaSPARed Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)*+12.091s10Marco BezzecchiITAVR46 Ducati (GP23)+12.840s11Alex RinsSPAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+14.901s12Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP24)+15.224s13Augusto FernandezSPARed Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)+17.115s14Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP24)+18.603s15Luca MariniITARepsol Honda (RC213V)+19.090s16Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+20.204s17Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+21.711s18Raul FernandezSPATrackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24)+23.814s19Andrea IannoneITAVR46 Ducati (GP23)+25.898s20Lorenzo SavadoriITATrackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24)+29.778s Johann ZarcoFRALCR Honda (RC213V)DNF Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP24)DNF

* Rookie

Jorge Martin puts one hand on the 2024 MotoGP title after victory in the Malaysian Sprint is combined with a crash for Francesco Bagnaia.

Bagnaia, who beat Martin to pole in an epic qualifying battle, walked away with his head in his hands after falling from second - between Martin and Marc Marquez - on lap 3 of 10.

The reigning double world champion suffered his eighth DNF of the season when he lost the front at the slow Turn 9 left-hander.

Malaysia Sprint: New 2024 MotoGP World Championship standings

Gigi Dall’Igna and Davide Tardozzi left the Ducati garage to flank Bagnaia as he walked down pitlane.

Bagnaia is now 29 points behind Martin, who will be crowned champion tomorrow if he can increase his lead to 38 points.

Marc Marquez kept second, finishing within one second of Martin, while Bagnaia’s exit handed the final podium place to his factory team-mate Enea Bastianini.

Last year’s Sprint winner Alex Marquez, who started alongside Bagnaia and Martin on the front row, was fourth.

Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, Martin's team-mate Franco Morbidelli, then the KTMs of Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Pedro Acosta completed the top nine.

As if the tension wasn’t already high enough raindrops began falling on the grid, prompting the race to be declared a flag-to-flag. However, the moisture soon cleared.

Andrea Iannone finished his first MotoGP race since 2019, and first ever Sprint, in 19th place.

All riders used the soft front and medium rear tyre options.

A minute’s silence was held before the Sprint for the victims of the flooding in Spain.

The flood devastation in Valencia has also forced the cancellation of MotoGP’s planned season finale. The replacement venue is still to be announced.

Miguel Oliveira continues to be sidelined by fractures to his right wrist in Mandalika and is replaced at Trackhouse by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.

Iannone has been called up to ride Fabio di Giannantonio’s bikes at VR46, with Diggia requiring shoulder surgery.

Revised tyre pressure rules for 2024 mean riders must stay above a lower front minimum of 1.8 bar (instead of 1.88) for 60% (instead of 50%) of a Grand Prix distance, or 30% of a Sprint.

The punishment for failing to meet the minimum in a Grand Prix is a 16-second post-race time penalty, or an 8-second penalty for a Sprint/short race.