P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Enea Bastianini used his first front-row start of the season to fight for a podium throughout Saturday’s Malaysian MotoGP Sprint race.
In the closing stages of the race, Enea Bastianini found himself behind his teammate Francesco Bagnaia. Bagnaia, who was leading the race for the first half, started struggling with his front tire and was already overtaken by Jorge Martin and Alex Marquez. If Bastianini had also passed Bagnaia, he would have lost an additional point. However, Bastianini decided to play the wingman role and defend against Brad Binder instead, finishing just 0.208s behind Bagnaia. Bastianini explained that one of the main challenges was the front tire and he didn’t want to take the risk of overtaking his teammate, especially since he is not in the championship fight. Additionally, Bastianini has a personal interest in Bagnaia winning the title, as Ducati might consider moving Martin to the factory team, potentially impacting Bastianini’s position. This result marks Bastianini’s best finish since his victory in the Malaysian MotoGP last year as a Gresini rider.
Forrás: Crash
