Celestino Vietti won the FIM Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at Sepang, in Malaysia. Riding his Red Bull KTM Ajo Kalex on Pirelli control tires, the Italian won the 17-lap race by 1.486 second.
Jorge Navarro was the runner-up on his American Racing Team Kalex.
Izan Guevara finished third on his CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team Kalex.
The 2024 Moto2 World Champion, Ai Ogura crashed his MT Helmets – MSI Boscoscuro.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Vietti denies Navarro victory as Guevara claims a surprise P3 in Malaysia. The Italian has charged to glory at the Malaysian GP, clinching victory ahead of Jorge Navarro and Izan Guevara.
Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is victorious at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia, with the Italian securing an incredible win after looking unstoppable on Sunday. Vietti took glory by 1.486s, clinching the win ahead of Jorge Navarro (OnlyFans American Racing Team), who capped off an incredible weekend as he continued to impress while substituting for the injured Joe Roberts. Navarro took second, crossing the line in front of Izan Guevara, who took a late podium with the CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team, capitalising after a mistake from teammate Jake Dixon on the final lap.
As the lights went out, Ramirez made an incredible start, launching into P1 on the run to Turn 1. However, Vietti then made a key move, snatching the lead at Turn 1, with OnlyFans American Racing Team’s Marcos Ramirez and Navarro in pursuit. Ai Ogura (MT Helmet – MSI) also began to work hard at the start, charging into P2 and demoting Ramirez to third.
Ramirez would not wait long to respond, beginning to duel with Ogura before making the move stick at the end of Lap 1. Meanwhile, Vietti put down the hammer, stretching his gap to over one second in a stunning display. It was an unbelievable pace from Vietti, a rhythm which pushed the Italian to the limit – making a crucial mistake at Turn 1.
Vietti’s was now diminished, with Ramirez glued to his rear tyre as Ogura and Navarro began to duel. Navarro made the move stick on Lap 7, demoting Ogura to third as he aimed to claim his first podium since 2022. The #9’s charge did not stop there, sliding past Ramirez on Lap 9 – soon setting sights on leader Vietti.
The battle for the final spot on the podium continued, with Ogura responding on Lap 10 and snatching third position. However, the #79 was stopped in his tracks, retiring on Lap 11 to the disappointment of the MT Helmets – MSI team. This left Ramirez to fight with CFMOTO RCB Aspar Team’s Jake Dixon and Guevara, to the delight of the Malaysian crowd.
Once Dixon entered P3, the #96 began to extend his margin to half a second to Ramirez – edging closer to the leaders. Meanwhile, Navarro lost ground to Vietti at the front, as the #13 regained composure and extended his lead to one second.
Further back, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) continued his recovery ride from P13 on the grid, carving his way to ninth in a remarkable ride. Canet soon found his way through Manuel Gonzalez (Gresini Moto2™), taking eighth and setting sights on Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P7.
On the final lap, nobody could match Vietti’s relentless pace, allowing the Italian to clinch his third victory of the season after defeating Navarro in the Malaysian heat. It was a stunning ride for the #9, bagging second place while Guevara took the final spot on the podium after Dixon made a vital mistake on the final lap.
Dixon held onto fourth on the final lap after a late mistake, fending off Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) as the Italian rounded out the top five spots on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ramirez claimed sixth, unable to hold onto the top five in the closing laps. The #24 showed incredible pace in the opening stages, crossing the line to beat Öncü, who held onto a comfortable margin over Canet.
Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) rounded out the top 10 as Gonzalez dropped to P11. The Spaniard placed ahead of teammate Albert Arenas (Gresini Moto2™) as Alonso Lopez (Sync SpeedUp), Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) and Elf Marc VDS Racing Team’s Filip Salac secured the final points on race day.
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