Another mixed day for Pecco Bagnaia in Thailand. Sure, he started from pole position, while Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez crashed in Q2. Sure, he still finished third in the Sprint, which allowed him to bring home valuable points… but Jorge Martin took more from him. Unable to respond to the Spaniard's attacks, Bagnaia suffered more than anything else during this event, and this from the first corner where the "Martinator" gave no quarter. But was Martin an outlaw? Did he go off the track too many times? The Italian has his own ideas on the matter.
In the parc ferme, Pecco Bagnaia was a little bitter. He simply did not have the speed to compete with Jorge Martin, and even less so his winning team-mate Enea Bastianini. « Unfortunately I didn't feel good with the front tire, I had trouble stopping. I had a similar pace to the riders in front of me, but I lacked something to attack. It's a shame, I lost two more points. The start was a bit bumpy." he said to the microphones of Sky Sports.
There's daylight between them! 💨
It seems as though @PeccoBagnaia has nothing to answer! 😮#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/Utw4jdng0I
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 26, 2024
The Italian arrives at a critical moment, because now Martin can afford to finish the last five races (including the Sprint) in second position to be crowned. "I don't think Martin will be satisfied with second place in five races. He could win or fall." he said about it. He is rather focused on the upcoming Grand Prix: « Tomorrow we have to take another step, improve ourselves to try to win. The temperature may have played a role too. This morning I was the fastest in the first sector, but there, during the Sprint, I had more difficulty » he continued. Great champions must, at some point in their career, transcend themselves and pass a milestone to become a legend. Perhaps that moment has arrived for Bagnaia.
Photo: Michelin Motorsport
The Sprint is over, but not the controversies. On multiple occasions, Martin was seen going off on the green part, and was given a warning. Bagnaia had four escapades beyond the kerbs. In any case, the Pramac rider was not penalized with a long lap. « I think Enea was stronger because he immediately went ahead. Once he opened up the gap, I had a hard time coming back. Jorge Martin was attacking hard, he touched the green part four times. I thought he would be penalized. He was on the limit, I tried to get closer but it wasn't enough" he concluded.
In your opinion, should Jorge Martin have been penalized? Tell us in the comments!
2024 Thailand Grand Prix Sprint Result:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
