The Ducati world champion regained the lead of the World Championship with the success of Mandalika, favored by Martin’s crash, but based on a great start from 13th place on the grid and careful tire management in the final
– Milan
The Indonesian GP in Mandalika, with the triumphant resurrection of Pecco Bagnaia who returns to the top of the World Championship thanks also to the knockout of Jorge Martin, makes the challenge for the title incandescent with five rounds to go in six weeks: Australia (22 October), Thailand (October 29), Malaysia (November 12), Qatar (November 19), Valencia (November 26). With 10 races scheduled, the lightning battle for the title between Bagnaia and Martin starts, with Marco Bezzecchi not completely out of the game, and in Indonesia he collected a good haul of 18 points a week after breaking his collarbone in training at the Ranch, and other riders who can indirectly influence the championship fight.
sample reaction
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At Mandalika Bagnaia demonstrated in Sunday’s race that he knows how to react like a champion to the defeat of the Sprint Race, finishing with a modest 8th place: after many previous ups and downs, Pecco was the best of the season. Lucid and aggressive, Bagnaia recovered flawlessly from 13th place on the grid, he was determined, first in the comeback, then in the intelligent battle with Maverick Vinales, and finally he also noticed better tire management at the end. “I needed to prove to myself that I am capable of this”, his words. Pecco was aided by the fall of Martin, who as a steamroller in the Sprint Race (Jorge’s fourth success on Saturday) and undisputed dominator for half the race, threw away a victory that would have been of great importance for the championship, but made ready at the right time.
martin, great pace, but…
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At that stage of the race, on lap 13, Martin had a 3″ lead over Vinales and almost 4″ over Bagnaia and was in the breakaway thanks also to the double soft tyre. The Spaniard was dominating, lapping faster than everyone else (1.31″4; 1.31″3; 1.31″0, 1.31″2, 1.31″2 his last five laps), and he exaggerated. “I was in front by a good margin, it was done. Then I went a little long when braking and at the next corner I went a little off the line and with the dirt that was on the asphalt I fell”, his words. Bagnaia, in third position, did not have a dissimilar pace to Martin (1.31″3; 1.31″5; 1.31″4; 1.31″3; 1.31″3 in the same passages), but it was at the start and at the end that made the difference , building on his victory.
the two phases of sin
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In fact, Bagnaia started from 13th place on the grid; he passed 9th into the first corner; he made decisive and decisive overtaking on the first lap, like the very audacious one on Aleix Espargaro; he passed 6th on lap 1, then 4th on lap 2 and 3rd on lap 3, taking the lead by overtaking Vinales during lap 19. At that point there were 8 laps to go until the end of the race and Pecco, who had a different tire choice than the Spaniard (hard/medium versus medium/medium) was also able to manage the situation. This can be understood from the times of the last five laps: Bagnaia laps in 1’31″6, 1’31″7, 1’31″7, 1’31″6, 1’32″3; Vinales in 1’31″5 , 1’31″5, 1’31″5, 1’32″0, 1’31″6 and Quartararo in 1’31″5, 1’31″6, 1’31″4, 1’31″951 and 1’31.6. In summary, the Ducati rider manages his margin, ‘holding’ just enough on the finish line, 3 tenths, to stem the others’ comeback attempts. Martin was dominating until halfway through the race, but Bagnaia started and finished great, putting his hands back on a World Championship that now sees him in the lead at +18.
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