Francesco Bagnaia expressed his relief after he managed to secure a victory in the must-win Thailand Grand Prix, bouncing back from a defeat in the sprint. The reigning champion achieved his first win in wet conditions, bringing his total for 2024 to nine victories. After finishing third behind Martin in the sprint, Bagnaia took advantage of a misstep by his rival to take the lead on lap five.

Bagnaia had a back-and-forth battle with Marc Marquez in the following laps, but Marquez’s crash on lap 13 allowed Bagnaia to race without any problems to take the victory.

“Absolutely, it was a must-win,” he declared. “In terms of the championship, it may not mean much, but mentally, it was very important for both me and him.

“I want to dedicate this victory to my team. After the morning session, we sat down to discuss how to improve, as I was struggling with braking. We managed to turn things around, and I’m thrilled. It wasn’t an easy race; it was long and stressful. However, once I started, I felt good and saw Jorge pushing hard.

“I decided to wait a couple of laps to ensure the rear tire was ready, and once it was, I focused on catching him. I then built a gap, but Marc was pushing hard. The lap he crashed, we were two tenths faster in sector three, so it was already a strong lap, and my pace was super strong.”

The win narrowed Bagnaia’s gap in the standings to 17 points, with just two rounds and four races left.

“It’s a great day for us overall,” Bagnaia added. “The 17-point gap is favorable for me. It was essential to make a difference today, and thankfully, we did. Finishing first rather than second was important for gaining more championship points.”

This victory marks Bagnaia's 27th career win in MotoGP, and notably, it is his first in wet conditions—a small milestone that boosts his confidence for the future.

“I’ve always struggled in the wet, often crashing or not being fast enough,” he noted. “Two years ago, I was close to winning in the wet here but finished two seconds behind. Today, I believed I could do it from the start, and it was the perfect moment.”