Ducati factory rider Pecco Bagnaia took the lead in the overall standings with third place in the MotoGP race at Phillip Island. Ahead of the Malaysian GP, he knows he needs to be focused on the race.
With Fabio Quartararo only able to score eight points in the last four races, Francesco Bagnaia overtook him in the MotoGP standings with a podium finish at the Australian GP. Two races before the end of the season, the Italian from the Ducati works team leads by a margin of 14 points on the Yamaha rider.
While the Sepang International Circuit has served the Yamaha M1 well in the past, some sections of the 5.543km course speak to the strength of the Ducati Desmosedici GP. Pecco Bagnaia can already win the World Championship on Sunday if he gets eleven more points and Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati) to finish behind Pecco. If Bagnaia wins, Quartararo would need to finish third to keep the title fight open until the GP final in Valencia.
Bagnaia is relaxed about the 19th race of the year. “I’m looking forward to racing again in Malaysia. Temperatures will be much warmer compared to Phillip Island where we were last weekend. With this tropical weather, it will be difficult to predict whether it will be dry or wet,” says the 25-year-old.
“I’ll definitely stay calm. In Australia, where we have more problems than on other tracks, we fought for victory,” emphasized Pecco, who already has six victories to his credit this year. “On paper, Sepang is a much friendlier track for our bike. We have everything we need to do well.”
How is the Ducati rider approaching the weekend in Malaysia? “We are now first in the championship. We need to stay focused now more than ever. However, the approach will not change: we have to do our job well, as always, to be ready for the race on Sunday.”
MotoGP World Championship standings (after 18 of 20 races):
1. Bagnaia 233 Punkte. 2. Quartararo 219. 3. Aleix Espargaró 206. 4. Bastianini 191. 5. Miller 179. 6. Brad Binder 160. 7. Zarco 159. 8. Rins 137. 9. Martin 136. 10. Oliveira 135. 11. Viñales 122. 12. Marini 111. 13. Marc Márquez 104. 14. Bezzecchi 93. 15. Mir 77. 16. Pol Espargaró 54. 17. Alex Márquez 50. 18. Nakagami 46. 19. Morbidelli 31. 20. Di Giannantonio 23 21. Dovizioso 15. 22. Darryn Binder 12. 23. Gardner 10. 24. Raúl Fernández 9. 25. Crutchlow 6. 26. Bradl 2.
Constructors’ Championship:
1. Ducati 407 points (title winner). 2. Aprilia 242. 3. Yamaha 227. 4. KTM 212. 5. Suzuki 163. 6. Honda 144.
Team World Cup:
1. Ducati Lenovo Team 412 Punkte. 2. Aprilia Racing 328. 3. Red Bull KTM Factory 295. 4. Prima Pramac Racing 295. 5. Monster Energy Yamaha 250. 6. Gresini Racing 214. 7. Suzuki Ecstar 214. 8. Mooney VR46 Racing 204. 9. Repsol Honda 160. 10. LCR Honda 96. 11. WithU Yamaha RNF 33. 12. Tech3 KTM Factory 19.