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As usual, our Carlo Pernat comments the Grand Prix, this time in Sepang, Malaysia with a bottle of Prosecco DOC. From Bagnaia’s victory to the World Championship that is now in Pecco’s hands, without forgetting the great Sunday both Bastianini and Fabio had. Thanks to this podium, he’s keeping the World Championship alive until the last stage in Valencia. Of course, recuperating 23 points will be a real feat for Pecco, but the math is still keeping him in the game.
“The world championship isn’t over, and that’s kind of what we thought. It didn’t end – not because Bagnaia didn’t do what he had to do, since he won and did it very well – but because of what Quartararo did. No one expected him to be that fast, with a Yamaha that works and doesn’t work here. He was very good and deserved this chance in Valencia. It’s clear that calling it a chance with 23 points to recuperate will be difficult. He’s not only obligated to win but also to hope for something different. But he proved to be a champion. An outgoing champion. One of the best. Bagnaia, in my opinion, won the race from the start. Never seen anything like it. He gained eight positions. Only that’s worth the price of the ticket, as I often say. These were the main things because they were battling for first and second place in the World Championship.
I’d like to emphasize Bastianini’s wonderful race. With a second place that’s worth a lot, he’s reduced the gap from Aleix Espargarò to one point for the third place in the world championship. So we’ll have two finales for the world championship in Valencia. One will be the one for the title between Bagnaia and Quartararo, the other between Enea and Aleix for the third step of the podium. A great race in Sepang, when Enea starts from the front rows, the podium never escapes him. Of course, there was a moment when he even overtook Bagnaia, but then she saw that he had less, and Pecco passed him again. He did what he had to.
I expected more from the Suzuki. They had problems with the circuit’s grip this time and didn’t have a great race. Marc Marquez did what we expected. With the cool, wet weather, he was second. He suffered a lot during the race, and his physical conditions are still not optimal. He started off well, but then he didn’t make it. Marc realizes that it’s sort of preparation for the victory, for next season, but it won’t be easy, and he knows it. However, he’ll be one of those to beat for the world championship in 2023..
For the rest, I’d say he let Aprilia down a little bit here. But, after practice, we knew he had a problem. Aleix then came out of that winning bubble after Silverstone. There weren’t any other important things in this GP. We were gambling for the world championship, and that was the important topic. We’ll be waiting for Valencia to see what happens, but now Bagnaia and Ducati are very close to the title.”
