Francesco Bagnaia will put his Sprint Race crash behind him as he aims to win the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
After the Friday Practice sessions and Saturday morning, it looked like Francesco Bagnaia was in control. The Italian rider topped all three Practice sessions and claimed pole position in Malaysia. However, in the Sprint Race Bagnaia ended up making another crucial mistake.
Whilst circulating in second place, directly behind his title rival Jorge Martin, Bagnaia crashed out of the Sprint. This is the fifth time in 2024 that Bagnaia has failed to score points in a Sprint Race. Bagnaia is 29 points behind Martin and could lose the #1 plate on Sunday.
"I know that the gap in the Championship is thanks to the Sprint Races," Bagnaia stated after the Sprint. "It is where Jorge did a better job than us. The only mistakes this season have been in the Sprint Races, so in the future, I have to improve. But today I was thinking that everything was set, I was waiting before I started fighting with Jorge. Then on that lap, I entered slower to lower the risk, but I hit a bump and I lost the front.
"It is a shame but it is something that can happen. It will absolutely not change my attitude and my mindset tomorrow, I will go full send and try to win the race. I hope that Marc and Enea can improve their pace because I need some help from them. I absolutely need to win."
'The only one that can lose this Championship is Jorge.'
After his crash, Bagnaia was asked how he was dealing with the situation he has found himself in. However, the three-time Champion kept his answer very short and sharp.
Bagnaia said: "I am dealing with it perfectly like always."
Despite his crash, the factory Ducati rider still believes he can fight for the Championship. But with only two Grands Prix and one Sprint Race left time is running out for Bagnaia. The 27-year-old continues to believe that he can turn this Championship around as he thinks the pressure is now on Martin.
"Let's see, I will try to start in the best way possible and then I will try to be more aggressive. I know in the long races I am better in terms of fight because, in the Sprint Races, I am missing something.
"But we know how quickly things can change, today I crashed, but tomorrow let's see what will happen. The only one that can lose this Championship is Jorge, and he knows this as well."
