Sepang Moto2 J.3 Malaysian Grand Prix: Victory and world title, full success for Sky Racing Team VR46!

On November 4, 2018 at Sepang, Francesco Bagnaia, third at the finish of the Malaysian Grand Prix, acquired the title of 2 Moto2018 World Champion with the Sky Racing Team VR46.

After a season in which he scored 8 victories and 12 podiums, “Pecco” won the world title in the intermediate category before making the jump to MotoGP with the Pramac team next year.

This special day for the Italian team owned by Valentino Rossi and completed by the first victory of Luca Marini, his half-brother.

Francesco Bagnaia is a talent from the joint project of Sky and the VR46 Riders Academy since 2014. Rookie of the year in Moto2 in 2017, he won the inaugural race in Qatar before repeating in Texas, France, the Netherlands Bottom, in Austria, in San Marino, in Thailand, in Japan, then today in Malaysia, thus reaching 304 points in the general classification against 272 for his main opponent, Miguel Oliveira. With 16 podiums in 2017/2018, all with Sky Racing Team VR46, he is one of the most successful Italians in the Moto2 category.

Francis Bagnaia : “It’s difficult to find the right words: we are world champions! A unique and incredible emotion. I came here with a lot of pressure, because I knew I could win the Championship and I tried not to think about it. Then, yesterday, after qualifying, something changed. It all started to become real. After the pre-season I understood that we had the potential to fight for the title, but now it's different, we are world champions after a record year with eight victories, pole positions and excellent work from all. The list of people to thank is endless: Vale, Uccio and the entire Academy, Elena and Sky, my family, my sister and my girlfriend. Pablo and Idalio who were fundamental on and off the track. Then my team: David, Sergio, Peru, Carletto and Leo. It's everyone's victory. The last 10 laps were very hard, then I started crying and screaming into the helmet in the penultimate lap.”

Paul Grandson, team manager: “It’s a special day for all of us: for the drivers, for Pecco and his family and for everyone who has worked with so much passion, commitment and dedication to be here. It's an incredible joy and satisfaction for everyone because we have seen Pecco grow from 2014 to today, because we have always supported him, and this year has rewarded us with a truly record season before a new important challenge for his career and his future. I don't want to think about the numbers, I want to remember that group of guys at parc ferme applauding a milestone they believed in for a long time. I want to remember a Championship where Pecco gave 100% since the first race, showed that he had great talent and was capable of handling every situation well.”

For the occasion, the Kalex #42 of the Sky Racing Team VR46 was dressed in gold during the lap of honor by making a short passage through a sort of magician's screen at the edge of the track, but, for the record , perhaps overheated by the race or having suffered an electrical disconnection, it was never able to restart with these colors...