The tension could have been cut at the 2024 Thai Grand Prix and it was no wonder. Although four drivers with a chance to win the title arrived at the Chang International Circuit, it was more than evident that the only ones capable of continuing in the fight were Jorge Martín and Peco Bagnaia. It didn’t matter what the rest did, they were the ones who couldn’t fail regardless of the track, the rivals, the weather… and they haven’t done it.
Although on Saturday they had to “give up” to the pace of Enea Bastianini, the two were very clear that their rival was not him and for that reason, when Enea escaped in the Sprint Race, the really important thing happened behind his back. In that battle of two, Martín managed to give an initial bite to Bagnaia, with the Madrid native taking second place and the Italian taking third place. Two more points ahead in a season that can be decided by the minimum. And meanwhile, without being able to mediate between them, with an obvious technical decline but bringing out his best version to try to fight, a Marc Márquez who, surely, dreams of having the official motorcycle.
JORGE MARTÍN’S ADVANCE TO BAGNAIA 🙌🏻
The battle for the World Cup, red hot 🔥🔥🔥#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 #MotoGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/vs3XUYbffQ
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) October 26, 2024
And although Martín and Bagnaia are the protagonists, the mechanical difference between them (and Bastianini) compared to Márquez means that the simple fact of being able to fight with them, even momentarily, has enormous value. So much so that the question remains in the air as to what would happen under equal conditions and how far Bagnaia and Martín could increase the pace. Because we must not forget that, in theory, the GP24 has a half-second advantage over the GP23.
The Thai Grand Prix has been held in world mode
What I’m sure no one wanted was for the Thai Grand Prix on Sunday, the real race, in which the important points are distributed, to be under water and that is exactly what ended up happening. If the pressure of not making mistakes was already high for Martín and Bagnaia in dry conditions, facing them in the wet has shown that both are at an exceptional level.
First it was Martín who, carrying the weight of the race and, incidentally, the risk in the first laps, stretched the group. Then came the scare, a small mistake and Bagnaia recovered the terrain, took the lead and gained confidence in complicated conditions. Only Marc Márquez seemed capable of keeping up with Peco and although in the wet the mechanics are not so important, it did seem that he suffered during acceleration.
NOOOOO 😢 FALL OF MARC MÁRQUEZ
The ’93’ says goodbye to his options in the middle of the fight with Pecco Bagnaia ❌#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 #MotoGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/kJ7lIC0gCp
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) October 27, 2024
And perhaps, although it is risky to say, Marc could have considered adding 20 points instead of fighting at a disadvantage against a superior bike and a rider with more pace. But he has tried everything, he has gone with everything and it is the clearest and most obvious sign that Marc is back. He was wrong, as he himself has admitted, but surely someone is already soaking their beards just in case.
While Peco has made it clear that he is not going to give up until the end, that he has rhythm, desire and talent. The same as Martín, who also, and this is no small thing, leaves Thailand with a 17-point advantage in the general classification and that means that it depends on him. With four races ahead (two Sprint and two Grand Prix) if Martín is second in all of them, it doesn’t matter if Peco wins all four. Therefore, they leave Thailand with 3 fewer points of advantage than they reached at a total level, but they leave reinforced because those points are more in percentage of the total that remains to be distributed. And now, the two look to Sepang where anything is possible, rain included.
The one who, of course, has not been hurt at all by the rain, has been Pedro Acosta who adds a new podium. Although he does not have the experience of his rivals, he continues to prove to be very competitive, the most with the KTM, and now also in the wet and despite the fact that in the ranks of the Austrian manufacturer there are two water specialists such as Miller and Binder, who have yielded to the drive of the Murcian and, ultimately, of Fabio Di Gianantonio. In this way, Fabio says goodbye to the 2024 season with fourth place and the Italian will undergo surgery to solve the shoulder problems he is having.
DANCING IN THE RAIN
The fight between Pedro Acosta and Jack Miller has been BEAUTIFUL 🤩#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 #MotoGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/tJHmO9upq3
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) October 27, 2024
Seventh and the last of the riders who have really had a chance to fight for something better, Maverick Viñales entered a weekend that has not been especially good for Aprilia, since Aleix Espargaró, with a heavy fall including on Friday, was ninth . In between the two is Johann Zarco who takes advantage of every opportunity he has to try to put his stamp.
And the one who, without a doubt, has set the seal has been Álex Márquez. A crash on the warm-up lap forced him to start 23rd on the grid to climb back to tenth position. There remains the feeling that I could have had a good result, but the good feelings remain there. In the same way as those of Fabio Quartararo, who has been with the leading drivers until Franco Morbidelli has taken him ahead.
In any case, the good thing is that both Fabio and Alex and, of course, Martín and Bagnaia, will have a new opportunity in five days, which remain until the Malaysian Grand Prix starts on Friday.
