The Ducati Lenovo Team won the MotoGP Team World Championship title in Buriram Another amazing victory in Bagnaya. Bastiani finished fourteenth after the accident
George Martin is second overall in Desmosedici’s Pramac Racing team.
Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo team claimed a crucial victory in the 26-lap Thailand Prix, which was held in wet conditions at the Chang International Circuit. Ine Bastianini headed to the checkered flag in fourteenth place after stumbling in the first half of the race.
Bagnaia had a good start from the stick; Closing the gap on then-leader Martin and taking the lead with five laps to go, the challenger pulled away. Peco then had to fend off a resurgent Marc Marquez, the latter crashing out with thirteen laps to go. From then on, the World Championship winner perfectly managed the gap over the following riders, eventually crossing the line as the sole winner.
Bastianini lost several places due to his early contact with the opposition. After finding himself outside the top ten, ENE was able to claw his way back to sixth before facing a face-off at turn eight on lap nine. He rejoined the race and returned 15th to finish in fourteenth place.
Heading into the eighteenth grand prix of the season, Bagnaia is still second in the championship standings, although he now has a 17-point gap to Martin. Bastiani is fourth, 108 arrears, and mathematically out of contention for the title. After winning the Ducati Constructors’ Championship, the Ducati Lenovo Team has secured the 2024 Team World Championship title.
Team Ducati Lenovo will be back in action on Friday at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“This morning, I was not happy after the heat. But I’m not worried, because I know we have the potential to do well, but with the braking we had to adjust something in terms of the bike’s behavior: we managed to do it, and I felt good straight away. I saw that George was taking too many risks trying to pull away early, so I chose to wait two rounds. The battle with Marquez (Marquez was very good and before he crashed we were actually riding at an amazing pace. I want to give this victory to the team, because as usual they did a fantastic job.
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 14th
“We were in a position to do well. Unfortunately, I got pushed wide in turn one and lost a lot of ground on the straight – plus the visibility was very low in the first stages. Then, lap after lap, I managed to find the right feeling and make up some places, but I was on the limit and started to turn eight. Unfortunately, I didn’t expect that to happen. Fortunately, I was able to rejoin and get two points.
Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse general manager
“The competition was challenging. It is easy to make a mistake in these situations: you have to give everything to win, but at the same time be careful, because a mistake is always around the corner. Congratulations to Peko and George for their outstanding performance today. It is now officially a two-way battle for the title tie. Our goal is to get all the information out of their bike so they can beat the best. We will have to suffer until the end, but I am sure that they will bring a lot of joy to us and to all Ducatisti.
