SEPANG — Ducati Lenovo Team rider, Enea Bastianini picked up his first silverware of the season after being crowned the 2023 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) champion here, today.
Starting in the third grid, Bastianini delivered a stellar performance in the opening lap to overtake his teammate and reigning world champion, Francesco Bagnaia, along with Prima Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin to take the lead under sunny skies at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
The Italian crossed the finishing line in 39m 59.137s to break his title drought since he last tasted victory at the Aragon GP, Spain in September 2022.
Celebrating the win, the 25-year-old released a triumphant fist bump to end his quest for silverware.
Yesterday’s sprint race champion, Alex Marquez from Gresini Racing MotoGP was runner-up, +1.535s adrift from Bastianini while Bagnaia, who was +2.027s behind, completed the podium.
Bagnaia’s main rival, Martin, on the other hand, completed the race in fourth place with 40:09.663s while former 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo from Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP posted 40:14.137s and ended up fifth.
Bastianini said later he was delighted to return to the top of the podium after having such a difficult season due to injuries.
“I have a very incredible feeling now. It’s already my first victory of the year. It’s fantastic because the team had worked very well from the start to finish,” he told a post-race press conference.
Marquez, meanwhile, said it was indeed a great weekend for him in Sepang and was now raring to do better in the next race in Lusail International Circuit, Qatar, from November 17-19.
As MotoGP 2023 heads into the penultimate race of the season, today’s result saw Bagnaia move 14 points clear over second-placed Martin, who has collected 398 points so far.
Despite the lead, Bagnaia better known as Pecco was glad to get the better of Martin without encountering any issues here.
“It’s still a small gap. We’ll approach Qatar like we did this weekend and aim for a strong start. However, the new tarmac there makes it even more unpredictable,” he said.
After the Qatar GP, the 2023 season is set to conclude at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain from November 24-26. — November 12, 2023