Wow. What a 15-minute session that was. With stakes higher than ever in 2022, MotoGP™ Q2 at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia delivered drama aplenty for the three main title contenders – and a bonkers new all-time lap record for Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
Understandably, the main focus on Sunday afternoon at the Sepang International Circuit will be on World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), second in the title chase Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and the man third in the overall standings Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). 27 points split the trio with two races to go, but none of them enjoyed a successful day at the office in qualifying.
Despite his Turn 4 crash on his second time attack outing in Q2, Bagnaia will crucially start ahead of both Quartararo and Espargaro. The Turn 4 tumble was Pecco’s second crash of the day after the Italian tucked the front at Turn 8 at the end of FP3, with that particular corner also causing issues for the title-chasing trio. Quartararo went down there during FP4, which subsequently saw the Frenchman suffer a finger fracture, as Espargaro then crashed heading into Turn 8 at the end of qualifying.
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"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE TITLE, IT'S THEIR PROBLEM" - MARTIN
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"I WANT TO WIN" - BASTIANINI TO COME OUT ALL GUNS BLAZING IN SEPANG
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QUARTARARO LEAVES MEDICAL CENTRE WITH FINGER FRACTURE DIAGNOSIS
Not the day Bagnaia, Quartararo or Espargaro would have been looking for in Malaysia, then. Nevertheless, Sunday's plan remains unchanged for the latter duo: simply beat Bagnaia. With just the Valencia finale to go after this weekend, Espargaro has no choice but to take three or more points off Pecco – to get it to 24 points with Pecco’s superior race win tally this year – if he stands any chance of winning the title. Quartararo sits 14 points behind but will want that to be considerably less heading to a track that Ducati locked the podium out at in 2021 – Bagnaia the winner, Martin second and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) third.
Scoring a huge points haul from P12 is a mountain of a task for Quartararo. A podium charge for Espargaro is a massive ask for the Aprilia star. A chance at claiming the title in Malaysia looks slimmer than expected for Pecco. The first handful of laps will be vital, with both Quartararo and Espargaro having no choice but to engage full attack mode if they have any chance of picking their way into the top three. It will be a compelling watch.
The good news for Quartararo and Espargaro is they have their teammates – Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – up ahead. They could cause Pecco some headaches, but they won’t make life hard work for their stablemates. The issue for Quartararo is Morbidelli has a double Long Lap penalty to deal with after his FP3 mistake, so the Italian will be out of the top 10 equation early into proceedings.
There’s one other thing that could throw a spanner in the works: the weather. Rain is forecast in the afternoon at the Sepang International Circuit, potentially serving up an extra slice of tension to what will already be a highly stressed-out grid. If we do see a wet race, predictability goes right out of the window.
Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) is also mathematically in the title frame still, so tomorrow could be a chance for the Italian to get within 25 points of Bagnaia heading to Valencia. The Beast starts P2 and looks strong, so that 42-point deficit to his 2023 teammate could be slashed – and Bastianini needs it to be.
When all is said and done, tomorrow has all the makings of being a classic. Whatever you do, don’t miss the Malaysian GP at 15:00 local time (GMT+8) on Sunday afternoon. Will Bagnaia become a MotoGP™ World Champion, or are we set for a title showdown in Valencia?