Greatest battle ever? The title fight continues with Banaya defeating Martin overall in Sepang.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) kept its world championship hopes alive at the Petronas Grand Prix in Malaysia. It was sensational ride #1 as he laid down the hammer after a thrilling duel with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in the first laps. The number 89 went toe-to-toe with Banaya, fighting hard at the start of the Grand Prix before finishing second to cap off an incredible weekend at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. It was a big day for the championship, with Martin’s lead now reduced to 24 points as the title fight went into the final round.

Behind them Aenea Bastiani (Ducati Lenovo Team) was able to take the final spot on the podium on a crucial day for “The Beast”, who moved one step closer as he continued to fight for third place in the championship. Bastianini scored solid points on Sunday, finishing 10.484 seconds behind teammate Bagnaia in a Grand Prix to remember.

As soon as the lights went out, Banaya made an incredible start: he took the lead into the first turn, pushing Martin into second place. However, an accident at the second turn involving Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) will raise the red flag.

The Grand Prix resumed with Banaya making an incredible start to take the lead heading into the first corner. Martin took second position with Mark Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) fighting for the podium on the first lap. Martin made his first move on the first lap and Bagnaia responded immediately as the title battle moved to the next level.

Bagnaia and Martin continued to battle on the track, trading places and exchanging blows in the early stages of the spectacular Malaysian Grand Prix. Up front, tension was high as the leader continued to switch hands at every opportunity, with just inches separating them on the track. Colors were traded between the title contenders in the early stages, with Marc Marquez watching from behind in third.

It was quite a spectacle as the two title contenders put on an incredible fight for the Malaysian audience. Bagnaia dropped the hammer on lap five, setting the fastest lap, and then increased his gap to almost one second. The pace was extremely hot, which would mean Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) crashed at the tricky Turn 9 before Marc Marquez crashed later in the lap after spinning out of P3 at Turn 15.

Bastianini now reached the podium and temporarily moved up to third place in the championship. “The Beast” had a stable rhythm and was ahead Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) on track as #73 continues to fight back Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) for P4.

Martin’s momentum began to build, with the championship leader closing in on Banaia in every sector, soon reducing the gap to 1.5 seconds. However, the #89 made a decisive error at turn nine, falling another eight-tenths behind. The tension was high in the final laps and Prima Pramac Racing’s Martina was asked to stay focused.

Banaya remained unstoppable as he crossed the line to win by 3.141 seconds on the decisive day of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship. The Italian’s victory will allow #TheRematch to continue after defeating Martin in Malaysia. The number 89 worked hard throughout the Grand Prix, holding a 24-point lead after beating Bastianini, who finished third on the podium.

Alex Marquez took fourth place and the number 73 continued to defend against Acosta in the closing stages of the Grand Prix. 1.469 seconds separated the duo at the finish as Quartararo heroically finished in the top six after a stunning performance from the Frenchman on the restart. Number 20 is located in front Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Alex Rins as number 42 finished in eighth place.

The last places in the top 10 were taken by Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 racing team) and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) how Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LRC) pack of 11^th. Marc Marquez received a fine of up to 12^thcompleting a successful recovery with glasses Alex Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Morbidelli and Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) scored the last point on Sunday.

After Bagnaia managed to keep his title hopes alive this weekend, everything remains to be decided in the final! Stay tuned to motogp.com for the latest news from the season finale.

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