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Michael Laverty praises 'phenomenal' Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin after Malaysia MotoGP ‘battle’
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Published 03/11/2024 at 12:05 GMT
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Current MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia recorded a hard-fought victory at the Malaysia Grand Prix on Sunday, beating his title rival Jorge Martin, who finished in second spot. Speaking to TNT Sports after the thrilling conclusion, Michael Laverty revelled in the "ultra aggressive" efforts of Bagnaia, who remains in the race for this season's championship.
‘This is racing’ – Bagnaia-Martin battle in Malaysia was ‘phenomenal’, says Laverty
Video credit: TNT Sports
Michael Laverty praised the “battle” between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin at the Malaysia MotoGP, which saw the “ultra aggressive” Italian emerge victorious.
The win for Bagnaia after crashing out in Saturday’s sprint race - won by Martin - kept him in with a chance of securing yet another world championship in two weeks' time in the season-ending race in Spain.
Martin finished in second spot, and for much of the race, the two tussled wheel-to-wheel as the margin for error grew ever smaller with the season finale looming on the horizon.
Both riders shook hands at the end of their hard-fought race, and Laverty was clearly impressed by their performances.
“I loved it," he said on TNT Sports. "It was one of those battles - we’ve been itching for it. They were going head-to-head,
“And you can see Pecco was ultra aggressive, which he doesn’t tend to do. These mistakes from Martin open the door for him, and he’s straight up the inside.
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‘Fierce, hard-fought win’ at Malaysia GP helps Bagnaia keep title dreams alive
Video credit: TNT Sports
“Both wanted to lead the race, and it seemed like Pecco was more comfortable, but Martin was attack, attack, attack.
“It was one of those battles that couldn’t last all race long. If you try to do it over 19 laps, it was going to end up in the gravel. Honestly, this is racing. It was so close.
- Bagnaia recovers from Sprint crash to claim Malaysia Grand Prix victory
- Bagnaia says Martin is 'only one that can lose' title after Malaysian GP Sprint crash
“It was one of those races. I loved it. The battle, the duel, the back-to-back passes. It was phenomenal.
“The pace wasn’t that fast, but it was an absolute spectacle.”
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