Malaysian MotoGP: Bagnaia crashes, Martin wins sprint to inch closer to world championship title | Read

Kuala Lumpur: Jorge Martin edged closer to the championship title with a sprint victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Saturday, extending his lead to 29 points over Francesco Bagnaia, who crashed out during the race.

Gresini Racing's Marc Marquez claimed second place, while Bagnaia's teammate Enea Bastianini completed the podium.

Heading into Sunday’s penultimate season race in Malaysia, Martin (Pramac Racing) leads the drivers’ standings with 465 points, with Bagnaia in second place at 436 points.

The race commenced under foreboding dark clouds at the Sepang International Circuit. With light showers occurring, race directors displayed the white flag before the start, signalling riders could change bikes if necessary.

Martin’s quest for the title has been characterized by his exceptional starts. The Spaniard executed another flawless launch, overtaking polesitter Bagnaia on the first turn by holding the inside line.

Bagnaia, who had set a lap record to secure pole position earlier that day, attempted to reclaim the lead but lost control of his bike in the third lap at turn nine, leading to a crash.

The two-time champion was left in the gravel, grasping the magnitude of his mistake, his chances of clinching the championship greatly diminished.

If Martin can outperform Bagnaia by nine points or more in Sunday’s race, he will clinch the championship with one weekend remaining in the season.