Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin feel there is no reason why they should be “enemies outside the track” as they fight for the 2024 MotoGP title.

For a second season in a row, Bagnaia and Martin have been in a class of their own in MotoGP, with their championship battle set to culminate in next week’s Barcelona finale.

Their rivalry has taken place against the backdrop of Pramac rider Martin being snubbed for a promotion to the factory Ducati team next year, with six-time champion Marc Marquez instead being chosen for the coveted seat alongside Bagnaia.

While the changes instigated by Ducati made Martin lose faith in the Borgo Panigale marque and forge a new career path with Aprilia from 2025, he hasn’t allowed that decision to have any impact on his relationship with Bagnaia.

The Italian, too, has returned the favour, with both repeatedly emphasising the respect they have for each other as rivals.

Speaking again about the matter after engaging in an epic early battle for victory in the Malaysian GP, Bagnaia reiterated his intention to maintain a cordial relationship with his championship rival.

“For me it is very easy [to maintain harmony with Martin] because I’m not the type of guy that wants to be rude outside of the track and then need to be rude inside of the track or to be aggressive – pushing out and being the one that doesn’t respect rivals,” he said.

“I have never been like this and I will never be like this. If in case Jorge will start to do it, I will change, but Jorge is more or less the same as me. 

“Surely, respect is the main thing and will always be like this from my point of view. So I don’t understand why we need to be enemies outside of the track, not speak to each other and be rude. I prefer [it] like this.”

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Dorna

Both Martin and Bagnaia raced for Aspar Mahindra in Moto3 back in 2015 and have been a part of the grand prix paddock ever since.

That helped establish a solid foundation to their relationship, with the intensity of a title fight not enough to put a dent in the respect they have for each other on and off the track.

“We [have] known each other since 2015. We were really close friends in the past,” Martin said. “Now we no longer have that relationship but we are good to each other. 

“As he said, it’s no sense to [be enemies]. We can fight, you saw on Sunday, it’s an amazing battle for history. 

“Maybe not the last laps, but it was amazing [overall] and then we can speak about it. I think we both enjoyed it. 

“And as he said, if it’s like this in the future, for me it will be perfect, and I hope it will be like this always.”

For the first time since the pair started sharing the Formula 1 grid, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly joined each other on the podium of a grand prix, capitalising on a bold strategy in a wet Interlagos classic to finish second and third behind the untouchable Max Verstappen.

It was a huge boost to Alpine, the team gaining three places in the constructors’ championship and finally getting a tangible reward for the hard work of its crew after a bruising season with the underperforming 2024 car.

The scintillating Sao Paulo classic was not just season-defining for Alpine: on a human level, it will also forever define Ocon’s and Gasly’s at times fraught relationship.

Growing up close to each other in eastern Normandy, Ocon and Gasly crossed paths as kids and became best friends, spending lots of time together racing go-karts.

As they moved up the ladder their relationship soured, seemingly beyond repair, and therefore Gasly joining Ocon as a team-mate at Alpine for 2023 raised some eyebrows in the paddock. Ocon admitted “we are never going to be best friends” at the time, while Gasly acknowledged his relationship would be vastly different to the one he enjoyed with Yuki Tsunoda before.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team, 2nd position, Pierre Gasly, Alpine F1 Team, 3rd position, celebrate in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Naturally there have been some flashpoints on track, just like Ocon had with some previous team-mates – Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez – and both drivers fought their corner hard over team strategy as you would expect any F1 racers to do.

In 2023 there was a collision in Melbourne, in their fourth race together, and this year the pair also came to blows when Ocon lunged down the inside of Gasly in Monaco, damaging both cars and angering both Gasly and Alpine’s management. Soon after Ocon announced his departure from the team, signing with Haas for 2025, which defused some of the tension but also seemed to acknowledge that Ocon’s arrival at the Enstone team hadn’t really worked out for either party.

But while the pair has always maintained they work well together off-track, it feels like their wholesome podium in Brazil has further thawed their once frosty relations. They didn’t just revel in their hard-earned success on the back of an abysmal year with Alpine, but the perilous wet race in Interlagos appeared to unlock a warm feeling of nostalgia to better days. A time when they were also racing at the front in fraught conditions, as 10-year-old prodigies of Normandy’s go-karting scene.

As the pair gave a joint interview in front of broadcaster Viaplay’s cameras, Ocon turned to his fellow Norman: “Do you remember when we were driving in Anneville in the rain?”, to which Gasly revealed their race had brought back the same memories.

“Yeah, even in the snow! We were driving in the snow and the rain. It’s the same as it was back in the day when we were the only ones showing up at the track in the rain, freezing cold. But it was all worth it.”

“It paid off today,” Ocon nodded after his car control in the Brazilian rain yielded him second. “When we did that formation and the in-lap, that was the first thing that came to my mind. What a beautiful story, that.”

Even back when Gasly joined Ocon at Alpine last year, the significance of their unlikely pairing was not lost on them. Two kids from the same part of France – Gasly from the Rouen area and Ocon from the nearby town of Evreux – both making it through the complicated journey to Formula 1 to end up as team-mates.

Now they have another fond memory to look back on after their careers, when perhaps their rivalry will be a relic of the past.

“This is the moment of a lifetime,” said Gasly. “As kids from where we came from, to end up as team-mates was already against all odds, but to end up on the same podium…

“Nobody knows our story, it’s something personal to us. But regardless of everything that happened, a day like today makes it very special.

“It’s a beautiful story.”

McLaren says that guiding Lando Norris to the drivers’ championship was never ultimately its main target – as it has always been more focused on the constructors’ crown.

Norris had a golden opportunity to close down Max Verstappen’s points advantage in the Brazilian Grand Prix, starting on pole position with his rival down in 17th on the grid.

Yet, a combination of a lack of pace in the wet, driving errors, brake lock-up problems and a badly timed red flag meant the Briton finished sixth – with Verstappen producing a sensational performance to win.

That result has left him 62 points adrift of Verstappen with only three rounds remaining.

While the Brazil outcome is a disappointment for Norris in personal terms, McLaren says it changes nothing in its approach, because the team was only ever really thinking about the constructors’ battle anyway.

Asked by Motorsport.com about how the Brazil result would impact the approach to the final races, and whether it would actually take some pressure off Norris, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: “In terms of the constructors’ championship, I don’t think it changes anything.

“It was always our priority. Even when there was a call to be made to support one driver or the other, it was always secondary to maximising the constructors’ championship.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images

Stella did not feel that the potential of being in a title battle had much of an impact on Norris’s performance at Interlagos, as he felt both team and driver knew it was a bonus to be in the fight in the first place.

“When it comes to the drivers’ championship, I don’t think for Lando there was any particular pressure,” he said.

“We were enjoying this quest, even though sometimes from the outside it may come across like there is an error here or there maybe.

“It is like when we locked the tyres with the car like we had [in Brazil] I am not looking at the driver, I am looking at why the car keeps locking the front tyres in conditions like this. I don’t think pressure was a significant factor at all.

“Mathematically we are still in the [drivers’] championship, but I think for Lando and for Oscar, we will go to the next races trying to win the races.

“The last two venues should be quite good. Vegas will be potentially more of a Ferrari track, and then we will see. It is all to play for, and the constructors’ championship remains and has always been our priority.”

Norris himself has always played down thoughts of the title, thinking it was ultimately a long shot to come from so far back.

Asked how hard the Brazil result was to digest now that the title dream was all but over, he said: “Quite easy. I did all I could today. That’s all. Max won the race. Good on him. Well done, but it doesn’t change anything for me.”

While Norris lost ground in the drivers’ championship in Brazil, McLaren managed to extend its constructors’ advantage over Ferrari by seven points to 36 points – which makes it increasingly likely that the battle will go all the way to the final round in Abu Dhabi.

Three-time Super Formula champion Naoki Yamamoto has announced his decision to retire from the series following this weekend’s season finale at Suzuka.

The Nakajima Racing driver, 36, made the announcement via a post on his Instagram page on Tuesday.

It effectively calls time on a 15-season spell in Japan’s top single-seater series for the factory Honda ace  which yielded titles in 2013, ’18 and ’20, nine race wins and 13 pole positions.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I’m extremely grateful for the chance to have competed in Japan’s top category for the last 15 years and all the support I’ve had,” Yamamoto wrote.

“I made the announcement at this time so that all the fans watching would know this weekend is the last time you will be able to see me driving a formula car. I believe this is also one of the ways I am able to pay everyone back.

“Whatever the outcome of these final races, I want to step down from Super Formula having shown my real level of performance and having given it my all with this team.”

Yamamoto made his debut in what was then known as Formula Nippon in 2010 with Nakajima before switching to Team Mugen the following season, going on to claim his first two titles with the team.

Naoki Yamamoto, Mugen

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

Advertisement

He elected to switch to Dandelion Racing for 2019 immediately following his second title, which together with his success in Super GT earned him a Formula 1 practice call-up for the Japanese Grand Prix with Toro Rosso.

After winning the 2020 title for Dandelion, Yamamoto returned to Nakajima for the 2021 season, but has struggled to recapture his previous form since then.

His last win came in the wet at Motegi in 2022, although he has enjoyed a slight upturn in form this year, sitting seventh in the standings heading into this weekend’s Suzuka double-header.

Yamamoto’s decision to step down from Super Formula follows the neck and spinal injuries he suffered in a major crash in last year’s SUGO Super GT round, and which required surgery to allow him to prolong his career.

A statement from Honda says that Yamamoto will continue to race in Super GT next season. He currently shares a Team Kunimitsu Honda Civic Type R-GT with Tadasuke Makino, with the pair sitting second in the standings with one race to go this season.

Continue reading with advertising …

… or with a subscription

Visit motorsport.com as usual with advertising and tracking. You can revoke your consent at any time via the data protection page.¹

Use motorsport.com without any advertising banners, personalized tracking and commercials for a small fee.

Accept and continue

More information about advertising and tracking in our Data protection notice, the List of our partners and in Data protection information center.

Already a subscriber?

Log in here

NASCAR has yet to review the radio communications from the closing laps of Sunday’s race (they intend to do so in the week ahead). And while Ryan Blaney drove off with the race win, strange things were happening throughout the field as Chevy and Toyota grappled for the final spot in the Championship 4. If we break down the communications ourselves though, it’s clear that manufacturer loyalty played a crucial role in what transpired at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

Setting the ‘final’ stage

When the final restart came with 87 laps to go, Christopher Bell was trapped a lap down and unable to make any forward progress from 19th. He was three points behind William Byron for the final transfer spot. Up front, Kyle Larson was leading the race and in the Championship 4 — until his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott took the lead for himself with 25 laps to go. But it was all for naught as reigning NASCAR Cup champ Ryan Blaney passed them both in the laps that followed.

None of that changed the situation for Bell and Byron who were in a constant struggle for that final transfer spot. When Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin managed to pass Byron and the margin was suddenly a single point. The math was simple: One position is one point. With 12 laps left, the bleeding suddenly stopped for the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet (Byron) as fellow Chevy driver Austin Dillon pulled up to his rear bumper. 

Now for a closer look at what the late-race radio communications between manufacturer allies reveals about this controversial finish that decided the Championship 4.

Dillon rides behind the #24

Before the race even began, the No. 3 Chevy radio of Dillon openly mentioned being cognizant of the Hendrick playoff drivers. That’s not unusual in these playoff races, but as Dillon was catching Byron in the closing laps, they made it clear that there was only one priority — protect Byron.

“The 24 is only two points to the good right now and there’s two spots between them,” crew chief Justin Alexander explained to spotter Brandon Benesch. He then told Dillon about the points situation, and Alexander quickly added: “If we pass him, he’ll be out.”

Dillon wanted to know who Byron was racing and they flatly told him: “He just can’t give up spots.” 

Does Chastain know the deal?

As Chastain in the No. 1 Chevrolet rapidly closed, pulling alongside Dillon, the radio became more interesting. “Does he know the deal?” asked the No. 3 crew chief. Atop the spotter’s stand, Benesch replied: “I’m trying to tell him. Justin can you tell the crew chief?”

With 12 laps to go, the same question lit up the radio again — but with more urgency — as Chastain pulled alongside Dillon. “Does the 1 crew chief know the deal?” asked Benesch. “Yeah he should,” replied Alexander, but he didn’t sound fully sure.

Things were much quieter on Chastain’s radio. Spotter Brandon McReynolds informed him of the points situation. However, there was a moment when the always-aggressive Chastain still got to the outside of Byron with seven laps to go. His spotter quickly keyed the mic: “Nice and smart with the 24 here down there.” Chastain did not reply, but never pulled alongside Byron again.

Dillon and Chastain ran side-by-side for most of the final 10 laps, moving like a rolling roadblock that made it impossible for anyone else to get near the No. 24 car. Right behind them, the field was stacking up with Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Carson Hocevar all packed tightly together.

Wallace: “God forbid we don’t help a f****** JGR car”

While Byron could not afford to lose a single spot, Bell was desperate to gain just one. He knew he would win any tiebreakers, courtesy of his runner-up finish at Las Vegas two weeks prior.

“God forbid if we don’t help a f****** JGR car,” radioed Bubba Wallace while riding around in 18th place. Crew chief Bootie Barker instructed spotter Freddie Kraft to tell Wallace where the No. 20 of Bell was on track. “Relay it to him,” said Barker. “10-4, I will. 24 is half a straightaway behind us,” answered Kraft.

They continued to give Wallace updates on Bell’s whereabouts and with 10 laps to go, he was told about the points situation. With five laps left, something happened to the No. 23 Toyota. Entering Turn 3, Wallace went up out of the groove. “I think I’ve got a tire going down,” said Wallace. Barker told the spotter to inform Wallace that his teammate, Tyler Reddick, “had a fire” in an issue that put him out of the race earlier. This might have been a way to try to connect the issue to whatever was happening to the No. 23.

Slowing down just enough

On Lap 495 of 500, Wallace’s times abruptly fell off and he ran a full second slower than the previous lap. He gained about half-a-second of that back the next lap before abruptly falling off again. Bell was gaining about a second per lap now. The car kept driving up into the marbles, slowing down as his lap times fluctuated wildly. 

Coming to the white flag, he got in the way of the Byron group and there was a tense three-wide moment with Chastain and Dillon. Chastain even ran into the back of Byron. Wallace slowed down enough that Bell caught him just as the field entered the final corner on the final lap.

Bell entered Turn 3 deep and flew by Wallace, but hit the wall as he slid up the track. At that point, he proceeded to put the throttle down, riding the wall to the finish line. He didn’t gain any additional spots by doing that. It also looked like a slower, similar version of Chastain’s now-banned wall-ride move from two years ago.

Wallace’s final lap was over three seconds off the pace and 2.3 seconds slower than his previous lap. Bell got the point he needed — he was in the Championship 4 — for 27 minutes.

On the cool-down lap, the team asked if Wallace needed a fire extinguisher, again connecting it to the issue that put Reddick out of the race earlier.

“I’m okay, I think,” replied Wallace.

“Tire looked up,” observed Kraft. “Looked just like s*** the last couple laps there. Just be careful getting in here. May be on fire like the No. 45.” It was not on fire.

In the background, Bell and Byron emerged from their cars but no one was celebrated. NASCAR immediately moved to review the finish, without taking into account the assists from Byron’s fellow Chevys or the Toyota of Wallace. Instead, they focused on the wall ride. Although Bell did not gain any spots from it, NASCAR deemed it to be a safety violation, and in a shocking twist, removed Bell from the Championship 4 while Byron was reinstated. Officials also informed Joe Gibbs Racing that they have no right to appeal.

When NASCAR does get to reviewing the comms this week, the conclusion still won’t change the final four drivers, but the 1, 3, and 23 teams could see penalties, similarly to what happened two years ago when Cole Custer slowed on the final lap to help Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Chase Briscoe advance into the Round of 8. NASCAR fined Custer $100,000, suspended his crew chief, and docked the team 50 points.