A second place in Malaysia was good enough for Jorge Martin as he kept his Championship lead at 24 points.
Jorge Martin had the chance to win his first MotoGP World Championship on Sunday in Malaysia. However, the Spaniard did not manage to wrap up the Championship in the Malaysian Grand Prix. But he did manage to keep his healthy lead over his rival.
On Saturday Martin was able to extend his gap as he won the Sprint Race, after Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the race. But on Sunday the tables turned and Bagnaia claimed a dominant victory over Martin who finished in second.
Martin now has a 24-point lead and has the chance to win the title on Saturday in Barcelona in two weeks. But before the final round of the season, Martin had a chance to reflect on Round 19 of the 2024 season.
"It was a great race I enjoyed it a lot," said Martin after the Malaysian Grand Prix. "Thanks to Pecco because even though we were so aggressive there is always respect. We don't want to race to destroy the others race, we both want to win, so I think it was a nice show for the fans.
"On my side, I had to be a bit more calm, I felt that I could fight with him so I tried it. But at some point I thought 'Ok this is too many risks' So I started to wait behind him. But when I started to sit behind him everything was not working and I had Marc (Marquez) behind so I had to push.
"When Marc crashed it was a big relief for me because I had a big gap to Enea (Bastianini). I was trying to continue with a good pace and I tried to recover to Pecco but I made a mistake at corner nine. Then I said 'Ok Jorge that is enough.'
"It was really physical, I had some difficult moments in the last few laps, but I just tried to make it until the end. It was nice and it is more important points for the Championship."
'If you are not in the lead after 10 laps it is almost impossible to win.'
Martin believes that everything was on Bagnaia's side in the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Italian had to take extra risks to keep the Championship alive. Whereas, Martin had to minimise his risks so he did not throw away his Championship lead.
"Everything was on his side today because he had a lot to risk," Martin stated. "On my side, I could have battled a bit more but it made no sense. I think I could have got the first position, but it was too many risks. I think that is important because in terms of riding style, we were so close and there was no difference at all. It was mainly on the mental side and I think he had everything today to win."
In the first half of the race, Martin and Bagnaia were involved in a titanic battle in Sepang. However, Bagnaia eventually broke Martin and the Spaniard could not match Bagnaia's pace. The Championship leader had a moment towards the end of the race so he decided to settle for second.
"Nowadays in MotoGP, if you are not in the lead after 10 laps it is almost impossible to win," claimed Martin. "But I never give up, I always try until the end, it was similar to Japan because I was closing the gap. In one lap I closed by four-tenths but then I had the moment in corner nine and then I just tried to make it to the end."
Looking ahead to the final round of the 2024 season in Barcelona, Martin is confident he will win the title. But he does not want to push too hard to wrap the title up on Saturday and knows he has plenty of time across the weekend.
Martin said: "Let's see in Barcelona, it is a nice track for me, but it is a nice track for Pecco. I don't want to force it on Saturday, I have time. But I will try to do it on Saturday if it is possible, but it will be difficult for sure. Today was good training for next Sunday because to finish and trying to be calm and just finish is not easy."
