Worrying warning to Bagnaia: “Back to drawing board” | “Do something special!”

Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia is 13 points clear of second-place Jorge Martin with three rounds remaining.

But Pramac rider Martin is the man in form having won both races at Buriram.

Michael Laverty assessed Bagnaia for TNT Sports: “He always comes forward. Race-day on Sunday, they always find something overnight.

“He feels that he’s recovered everything he lost recently - the confidence in braking, the overtakes, the ability to fight.

“He did have to tough it out on the early laps. Marc Marquez racing you hard is never a nice way to start any race!

“He settled the ship, he came forward, he scored 20 points. He rode well.

“How are you going to deal with the 13 points? It’s not enough to relax when Jorge is on form.

“He’s got to go back to the drawing board. He’s got to fight again.

“He can’t afford to be the third-placed man across the line. He has to win a race.”

Ex-MotoGP rider John Hopkins added: “That race has only given Martin more confidence going into the final three races. He’s the man that everyone wants to beat. 

“Bagnaia knows he’s got to do something special in Malaysia and Qatar to keep hold of this championship.”

Martin 'answered every call'

Bagnaia has, at least, rediscovered the confidence which briefly seemed to have been lost.

But with just six races over three rounds, Martin’s form looks ominous.

"Three riders on top of their game, and that’s why it means so much for Jorge today because he had to fight for it," said Laverty.

"He didn’t have the extra pace. He didn’t have an extra bit of grip from tyre. It was all about heart, it was fight. 

“He was taking risks because when you’ve got a championship hanging in the balance, you are worried about losing the front and throwing away 25 points.

"He answered every call today and when it’s Brad Binder, you can feel him behind you because Brad is an absolute animal. He fights every single corner. 

“Martin kept his cool, he responded – he was so good today. If he does win the title at the end of the season, he’ll look back at this race and think that’s where he dug deep for it."