Marc Márquez, eight-time motorcycling world champion, offered a detailed analysis of the intense battle between Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia and Jorge Martín during the first laps of the Malaysian GP, the penultimate race of the championship.
The Spanish rider, who had a privileged view of the fight for the lead, was impressed by the pace demonstrated by both Ducati riders: ‘It was an extremely intense battle. They managed to maintain a very high pace even while competing for positions’, Márquez revealed to journalists.
The most surprising thing for the experienced driver was Jorge Martín’s aggressive stance: ‘From Pecco, I already expected this determined approach, but I confess that I was surprised by Martín. I thought he would adopt a more conservative strategy, but he decided to attack and made Pecco’s life quite complicated.’
Márquez also underlined the superiority of the two riders, noting that ‘while they were fighting each other, I was losing ground, and the riders behind me were getting further and further away’.
The Spaniard concluded by recognizing Bagnaia’s determination to achieve victory, leaving the outcome of the last race of the season open.