MotoGP title rivals lock horns but “don’t understand why we need to be enemies”

Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have given their opinions on their fight for the lead at the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix, with the latter calling it “an amazing battle for history”.

The pair started alongside each other on the grid, with Bagnaia on pole and taking the holeshot into Turn 1 off the line in the 19-lap grand prix at Sepang.

Over the first three laps, there was 11 overtakes between the pair for the lead with the championship on the line.

Bagnaia ultimately came out on top and went on to win his 10th grand prix of the season by 3.1s, cutting Martin’s championship lead down to 24 points to force a final round showdown.

Martin’s opinion in the battle was: “It was a great race. I enjoyed it a lot.

“Thanks to Pecco, because even if we were so aggressive between both of us, there is always this respect.

“We don’t want to race to destroy the other’s race. We want to win, both of us. So, I think it was a nice show for the fans.”

Bagnaia felt the fight was “very on the limit” but saw no issues with it.

“He was stronger in corner five, he was gaining a lot there,” Bagnaia said.

“But I was very strong in all the entries to the corners. And I think to overtake me, to attack me, he had to go over the limit.

“I saw twice that he was losing the front again and the fight was very, very on the limit.

“But I was very good on braking and at the last corner I was always attacking at the maximum, and it was the good strategy.”

Bagnaia said after the race that he had no intentions of backing Martin into the chasing pack as that would not have been “fair” in their fight for the championship.

The hard battle between the pair at Sepang and subsequently positive reaction to it characterises the respect that has remained between the pair throughout their 2024 title battle. 

“For me, it’s very easy because I’m not the type of guy that wants to be rude outside of the track, and need to be rude on the track and aggressive, pushing out, being the one who doesn’t respect my rivals,” Bagnaia said when asked how he maintains his cordial relationship with Martin.

“I’ve never been like this and will never be like this. In the case Jorge starts to do it, I will change, but Jorge is more or less the same as me.

“So, surely respect is the main thing and it will always be from my point of view. So, I don’t understand why we need to be enemies outside of the track or not speaking to each other or being rude.”

Martin adds that this respect between the pair stems from their time as team-mates in Moto3 10 years ago.

“I think we know each other a lot since 2015,” the Pramac rider noted.

“We were really good friends in the past. Now we no more have that relationship, but we are good to each other. We can fight.

“You saw today: it was an amazing battle for history. Maybe not the last laps, but was amazing.

“And then we can speak about it, I think we both enjoyed it. If it’s like this in the future, for me it will be perfect, and I hope it will be like this always.”