Jorge Martin of Spain claimed a thrilling victory in the Thailand MotoGP race on Sunday, narrowing the gap between him and Francesco Bagnaia to just 13 points in the world championship standings.
This change comes with three more races left in the season.
Francesco Bagnaia, representing Italy, initially crossed the finish line in third place, following Brad Binder. However, Binder was penalised for exceeding track limits on the final lap, and this allowed Bagnaia to secure second place.
The race featured an intense battle among these three riders, with the lead changing hands multiple times. In the end, Jorge Martin, who started from pole position riding a Pramac-Ducati, managed to edge out his competitors and celebrated exuberantly as he crossed the finish line.
"I'm so happy. This feeling is amazing because today I wasn't better than them," expressed Martin.
Throughout the race, Martin displayed excellent strategy by conserving his tyres and ensuring he had enough grip to fend off the late charges from the fast-finishing KTM rider Binder and factory-Ducati pilot Bagnaia.
"I had the same tools and the same tyres, but I had better pace than them, and I had to go more than 100 percent on the last lap to stay in front," Martin added. "I was pushing on the last lap like it was qualifying."
Francesco Bagnaia, aiming to defend his world title, arrived at the weekend with a 27-point lead in the championship. However, this lead was significantly reduced by Jorge Martin, who had also won Saturday's sprint race at the Buriram International Circuit.
Bagnaia shared his experience of the thrilling race, saying, "I felt like I was in a (video) game room. It was incredible." He also highlighted the close competition in the final minutes of the 26-lap race.
"That last lap was on the limit, but second place is positive for the championship this weekend considering where I was at the start," Bagnaia remarked, acknowledging his challenging position at the beginning of the race.
The MotoGP championship now heads to Malaysia's Sepang circuit in two weeks, with the title battle appearing to be set for a suspenseful conclusion. The season will conclude in Qatar and Valencia next month.
