Bagnaia admits Thailand GP was a "must-win" as he cuts gap to Martin

Francesco Bagnaia admitted to some relief as he bounced back to secure victory in a “must-win” Thailand Grand Prix after being defeated by Jorge Martin in the sprint encounter.

The Italian achieved his first win in wet weather conditions, bringing his 2024 tally up to nine successes over full-length races. 

Coming after he finished third behind Martin in the sprint race, the double defending champion benefitted from a wide moment by his Pramac Ducati rival to move into the lead on lap five.

Though he’d engage in a to-and-fro with the close-following Marc Marquez in the ensuing laps, the Gresini rider’s fall on lap 12 would release Bagnaia to race home for an important victory.

“Absolutely, it was a must-win,” he declared. “In terms of the championship, not too much. But in terms of feeling, in terms of mental side, it was very important - not just for me, but also for him.

“I want to dedicate this victory to my team, because after the morning we just sat down and spoke about what to do to improve the situation because I was struggling a lot on braking.

“And we did it, again. I’m so happy. It wasn’t an easy race because it was very long and stressful, but as soon as I started I saw that my feeling was very good and I saw Jorge pushing a lot.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“But I just decided to wait two more laps to make sure the rear was more ready, and as soon as it was I just tried to catch him back.

“Then I opened the gap, but Marc was pushing hard. The lap he crashed on we were two tenths faster in sector three, so it was an incredible lap already and the pace was super strong.”

The results have reduced Bagnaia’s deficit to Martin as the championship protagonists are now separated by 17 points with two rounds and four races remaining.

“It’s a good day for us for everything,” added Bagnaia. “And the 17 [points] that is the gap is a good number for me. It was a day to make the difference and luckily we did it.

“I knew it was important that I finished first rather than second to gain more points for the championship.”

Bringing his career tally of MotoGP wins to 27, this was nonetheless Bagnaia’s first achieved in wet conditions, a small career milestone that gives him confidence moving forward.

“Because I always crashed, but I was always not fast enough,” he said. “Two years ago I was fighting for the win [in the wet in Thailand], but I finished two seconds behind the leader.

“The pace was there but not enough. Today from the start I believed a lot in trying to do it, and it was the best time.”