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MotoGP Championship chances between Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia - Explained

Bagnaia needs to win both the Sprint race and the main race in Barcelona to have a good chance of winning the MotoGP world title for the third time.

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Venkatakrishnan
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Pecoo vs Jorge

(Source: MotoGP)

The Malaysian Grand Prix is completed with reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia winning the race and delaying Martin’s first world title. But the championship title is more or less with Martin as he is leading the rider's championship points table. But after the Sprint race crash, Pecco Bagnaia said he would fight hard for the championship till the end and he proved that by winning the Malaysian Grand Prix and showing outstanding pace against all the other riders.

Jorge Martin on the other side riding his independent Ducati bike gave some of the best overtaking actions and the fans were left awestruck at the Sepang International circuit. The third place was taken by Enea Bastianini as Marc Marquez missed his podium opportunity after crashing on the final corner. The Prima Pramac racing team rider now needs to wait till the final race of this year in Barcelona to claim his first world title. There are many possibilities now as the reigning world champion is still in the fight let's check the possibilities one by one.

Points deficit after Malaysia

After winning the Malaysian Grand Prix Pecco Bagnaia is now 24 points behind Jorge Martin. There are still 37 points for grabs and one race remains this year. Due to a natural disaster in Valencia, the final race will take place in Barcelona. But it's still not officially announced by the MotoGP.

The Spaniard can win this year's MotoGP title if he finishes 26 points ahead of Bagnaia. Let us check the possibilities in the Sprint race.

  • If Bagnaia finishes second, Martin must win.
  • If Bagnaia finishes third or fourth, Martin must finish at least second
  • If Bagnaia finishes fifth, Martin must finish at least third
  • If Bagnaia finishes sixth, Martin must finish at least fourth
  • If Bagnaia finishes seventh, Martin must finish at least fifth
  • If Bagnaia finishes eighth, Martin must finish at least sixth
  • If Bagnaia finishes ninth, Martin must finish at least seventh
  • If Bagnaia finishes tenth, Martin must finish at least eighth

Martins' win in the Barcelona Sprint will bring his first MotoGP world title since his 2018 Moto3 world championship. It would also be the first time in MotoGP history that the world champion emerged from a sprint race win. He will also be the first Spanish world champion since 2020 Joan Mir won the title.

Pecco’s chances of winning the title

If Martin didn't finish the sprint race and Bagnaia won the race he would reduce the championship gap to 12 points, then Martin should at least finish third in the main race if Bagnaia won the race. If the Spaniard finishes less than third place then the Italian will take his third based on countback as he won more Grand Prix races this year. This would be the first time in 4 four-stroke era where the title fight is heading into the final race of the season.

Also Watch: Disaster at the start of the 2024 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix, Multiple riders injured

MOTOGP Francesco Bagnaia Jorge Martin Malaysian MotoGP
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