After rain called off the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the title fight rolled over as MotoGP arrived at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Title contender Jorge Martín had to pull out of this weekend’s action following Friday’s sessions, as he requires more time to recover from the broken wrist he sustained in Australia. This meant it was advantage Marc Márquez as they lined up on the grid for the Sprint, as any points gain would extend his title lead.
Raúl Fernández and Fermín Aldeguer were also missing from the line-up as they continue to recover from their own injuries, with WorldSBK’s Iker Lecuona once again standing in at Gresini. Dark clouds were looming on the horizon with rain predicted to possibly bring some spice to the Sprint. But it wasn’t just the weather causing concern. As the heat and humidity continued to creep up, riders had reported a deteriorating track surface, with stones being kicked up and a noticeable effect on tyre wear. Sepang was supposed to have resurfacing works after the same issues were reported following February’s test, but it seems that this never materialised.
Before the Sprint got underway, there was a minute’s silence held for the victims of Wednesday’s tragic Toledo rail accident. The silence was a poignant moment felt across the world, and with an all-Spanish front row, it was bound to have resonated deeply with many on the grid.
Álex Márquez was the rider on pole, having previously won here in . Marc Márquez and Pedro Acosta joined him on the front row. Ai Ogura, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio lined up behind them on row two. Importantly for the championship, with Martín out of the picture, it was all to play for in Sepang.
Lights Out For The Sprint
Both Márquez brothers got a good start, but it was Álex who got the holeshot. Marc immediately found himself being passed by Ai Ogura through Turn 1. Just as swiftly, Acosta also slipped by the Ducati, demoting Marc to fourth by the end of Turn 2. Further back, Johann Zarco passed Luca Marini for 10th, whilst Fabio Quartararo took 16th from Jack Miller.
On Lap 2, race control issued the white flag, signalling that riders could change to their second bikes if needed. Rain had started to fall on part of the circuit, and Miller was the first to take a gamble on swapping machines at the start of Lap 3. But the decision ended in absolute shambles. As Miller entered the pits, he could be seen waving his arms as he pulled up to the garage only to find the second bike hadn’t been prepared yet. The Aussie was furious, and the time lost in the pit lane ended up being so costly that he retired from the race altogether.
Meanwhile, out on track, another disaster unfolded as Álex Márquez crashed out of the lead at Turn 14. He was quickly up on his feet, but it was race over for the Gresini rider. This promoted Ogura into first, with Acosta hot on his heels.
To Switch Or Not To Switch?
The rain flags were out at various corners as the Sprint hit the halfway point. This triggered a handful of riders to come in for their second bikes. Joan Mir, Iker Lecuona and Franco Morbidelli all rolled the dice to change for the wet setup, with the wettest parts of the circuit being around Turns 4-6. Bezzecchi got the message that his bike is ready too if he wanted it, but opts to stick with Márquez.
The rain was clearly having some effect on track conditions. Lap times had dropped considerably by Lap 6, before dropping even further by Lap 7. There seemed to be little change to apparent grip levels, but the Malaysian weather is known for intensifying quickly. The fight and the front was heating up, and The Shark was on the hunt. On Lap 8, Acosta got by Ogura, but the Trackhouse rider moved right back past again, only for Acosta to finally make his move stick and take the lead. Never one to miss out on an opportunity, Marc Márquez immediately pounced and snatched second place, demoting Ogura to third.
The Rain Intensifies
With just two laps to go, the rain started to get heavier. For Bezzecchi, there was no point coming in to swap bikes now, as he was hot on Ogura’s heels. The back-and-forth fighting wasn’t over yet either, although this time it was between Ogura and Márquez.
The pair switched positions multiple times before Márquez finally managed to stay ahead. To add insult to injury, Bezzecchi quickly dispatched Ogura as well, pushing the Japanese rider down to fourth. Things settled down in the final lap, with no challenge offered from Ogura to take his place back from Bezzecchi. With known talks having taken place between the Aprilia teams in regards to the championship, it was hardly a surprise to see the satellite team conceding to the factory team.
As the chequered flag waved, Pedro Acosta crossed the line to take the Sprint win. Márquez held on to second, whilst Bezzecchi claimed the final podium spot. Ogura settled for fourth, whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio rounded out the top five. Behind them was Francesco Bagnaia in sixth, and Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini brought home seventh and ninth for KTM. They were split by Honda LCR’s Diogo Moreira in eighth whilst teammate Johann Zarco took 10th.
By the time the riders rolled around for the podium ceremony, the rain had become a proper downpour. It certainly would have spiced things up even more had it come just a few minutes earlier. But with the main Grand Prix race due to take place at the same time tomorrow (and with a lot more laps to complete), we could be in for an interesting Sunday in Sepang.
Miller Reflects On A Tough Day
After the race, Jack Miller addressed his early exit and heated reaction, taking some responsibility for the incident:
“It was on me. I saw raindrops at Turns 5 and 6, then again at Turns 7 and 8 and Turns 9 and 10. Those are usually the first areas to get wet when the rain comes from that direction, and the drops here are pretty big. I checked the radar, which was showing rain arriving later, but when I saw those drops, I thought it was coming earlier than expected. I believed the next lap would be wet, so I decided to come in.”
For Miller, the gamble had felt worth it. He pins his retirement on a miscommunication between himself and the team:
“Unfortunately, the bike wasn‘t ready when I arrived. I‘d spoken with the team before the race about having the second bike prepared, but we clearly had different understandings of the timing. I thought it would be ready immediately, while the team understood that they had another four or five laps. It was a miscommunication, and by the time I realised the tyres hadn‘t even been changed, I knew the race was over.”
The sight of a usually happy-go-lucky rider displaying such anger was quite something. But Miller addressed his reaction and confirms that there’s no hard feelings towards the team:
“I apologised for my reaction afterwards. When you arrive in the pit lane, you‘re still in the race, and in my mind, I wouldn‘t have made that decision unless I believed it was the right one. Unfortunately, it didn‘t work out, but given our position and the conditions I was seeing on track, I thought it was worth a shot.”
Crucial Championship Points
The result was crucial for Márquez’s chances at another World Championship title. Second place today meant extending his lead over Martín to 19 points ahead of Sunday’s main race. What’s more there’s been plenty of discussions, displeasure and a potential mutiny on the horizon regarding the next race at Qatar. Combine this with the potential that Martín could be declared unfit again, every point becomes even more vital. Should the Qatar GP go ahead as planned then there is a real chance that Márquez could have it all wrapped up and add another crown to his collection.
For now, there’s one more race in Malaysia to focus on. The weather is bound to try and cause more havoc before MotoGP leaves the Sepang International Circuit, and we can’t wait to see what Sunday’s race has to offer.
Feature image courtesy of MotoGP