Francesco Bagnaia keeps MotoGP world title alive with win in ...
Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia took the MotoGP title fight to the final day as he cruised to victory in the Barcelona Sprint race.
Championship leader Jorge Martin settled for third place after a final-lap move from Bagnaia's team-mate Enea Bastianini pushed him out of second place.
Bastianini put in a great performance to help out the defending champion, keeping Martin busy during the race with constant attacks for second place.
The title fight will now go down to the last race of the season, with the possibility of crowning either a three-time world champion or a maiden world champion.
Bagnaia will start from pole position on Sunday, hoping to gain another victory and 19 more points than Martin to claim his third world title.
Martin, on the other hand, has the ball in his court as he just needs seven more points than Bagnaia to claim his maiden championship in Barcelona.
The Spaniard had the chance to wrap up the title fight a race early, but Bagnaia made the correct tyre choice of the hard fronts and cruised comfortably throughout the race.
Riders have been uncomfortable on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya all weekend due to the cool conditions and lack of grip, so tyre choice and performance will play a huge factor in the race on Sunday.
Martin starts from fourth place on the grid, and will likely hope to shoot off into the distance off the line rather than endure a fierce battle in the cold.
The Sprint race began with chaos off the line as Martin dove down the inside of polesitter Bagnaia, but could not make the move stick and was forced to settle for third place.
Bagnaia's team-mate Bastianini played a big role in the Sprint, sparking a fierce battle with Martin for second place throughout the sprint.
Their battle managed to give Bagnaia some clean air to cruise to victory in, while Martin defended his position each lap until the last moment.
In a surprising last-lap lunge, Bastianini attacked Martin around the inside and usurped second place from the championship leader, pushing Martin down to third.
Although Martin did not win the title on Saturday, he is still the rider with the championship to lose heading into the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Martin does not have to win the race to become the champion, he just needs seven more points than Bagnaia to earn his maiden championship.
RIDER OF THE DAY: ENEA BASTIANINI
Bastianini was the most eager and hungry rider on track, showing his loyalties to the factory Ducati team in his final race for them.
In a final effort to protect his team-mate from a speedy Martin, Bastianini helped to keep the title fight alive by keeping Martin busy throughout.
Off the line, Bastianini attacked Martin and sparked a fierce battle for second place with the two riders swapping positions throughout the race.
Bastianini managed to keep Martin from closing the gap to Bagnaia ahead, and gifted his team-mate some clean air for a victory that pushed the title fight to the final day.
Even better for Bastianini, he managed to add five points to his fight with Marc Marquez for third in the championship standings.
WHERE THE RACE WAS WON AND LOST
1/12 BAGNAIA LEADS DESPITE OPENING-LAP CHAOS - Bagnaia leads the pack ahead of his team-mate Enea Bastianini, meanwhile Jorge Martin sits patiently in third place as he waits for the perfect moment to pounce.
3/12 BAGNAIA LEADS MARTIN IN SECOND - Bagnaia leads the Sprint while his team-mate fell under pressure from his rival Martin and lost second place to the championship leader.
6/12 BATTLE FOR SECOND ENSUES - Bastianini snatched back his second place from Martin who took the position a lap earlier.
9/12 BAGNAIA COMFORTABLY LEADS - Bagnaia has pulled 1.4s away from Jorge Martin running in second.
12/12 BAGNAIA WINS THE BARCELONA SPRINT - Bagnaia takes the title fight to the final day as he wins the Sprint race in Barcelona.
Watch the finale of the 2024 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+
