THE SHOW MUST GO ON

The title fight draws out to the final race of the calendar

- AKAASH BHADRA

The 2024 MotoGP season has been nothing short of exhilarating, with this past weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang marking yet another thrilling chapter. Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia’s victory over title rival Jorge Martin has brought him a step closer to defending his championship, though Martin still holds a 24-point lead. This close battle now comes down to the final race of the season, with Barcelona unexpectedly hosting the championship-deciding round after Valencia was flooded.

Bagnaia’s win at Sepang wasn’t handed to him easily. The race was red-flagged early after a crash-laden first lap. The incident occurred when Alex Marquez, nudged slightly wide by Enea Bastianini, attempted to reclaim his line. This move set off a chain reaction: Marquez collided with Brad Binder, who lost control and squeezed Fabio Quartararo and Jack Miller into Turn 2. The pileup launched Binder into the air, and Miller took a hard hit that left him briefly immobile. Despite initial fears, Miller was cleared of serious injury and quickly bounced back, though he didn’t rejoin the race for the restart.