The keys to the Malaysian Grand Prix

1. The output of Bagnaia.

As he himself repeated after the race, Pecco made the best start of his racing career. And he did it on the day he needed to do it the most. He started from ninth position on the grid and as the peloton reached the end of the straight he entered the corner second!

2. Quartararo’s departure.

Chapeau for the French World Champion! After signing the worst training position of the whole season, with a fall and a micro fracture of the middle finger of his left hand, on Sunday he found himself on the fourth row of the grid. His start was impressive, crossing the finish line for the first time in fifth position. At the end of twenty laps he got a podium finish.

3. Martin’s downfall.

Yesterday he took pole position with a stratospheric time and his start was like a “rocket”, but Jorge was “stuffed”. He ran until he fell to the ground. As soon as the traffic light went out, he began to open an advantage over his pursuers. On the first lap he passed 0.6s ahead of Bagnaia; in the sixth the difference increased to 1.2 s; it didn’t finish the seventh.

4. Bastianini’s blackboard?

On lap #12, when Enea was riding ahead of Bagnaia, Bagnaia’s name appeared on the team board. Soon, Pecco overtook his future ally. From Ducati they deny that he had anything to do with any order to Bastianini. Do we believe? Enea said after the race that he might try one last attack on Bagnaia, but sometimes you have to remember some unusual factors.

5. Saturday by Aleix Espargaró.

Here in Sepang, Aleix has just one cartridge left to keep his title options alive, but after the performance he and his Aprilia showed in practice -10th on the grid-, a triple carom is all that’s left will keep him “alive”. But today the race script is not different from all the GGPP held in the last five weeks. Aleix was not only mathematically out of the fight for the title, but he saw how Enea Bastianini overtook him in the third provisional position.