Pecco Bagnaia’s MotoGP joy in Malaysia

Completing the podium was reigning champion Fabio Quartararo on the Monster Energy Yamaha.

Quartararo’s third place was enough to take the championship to the final round at Valencia but, with Bagnaia new holding a 23-point advantage, it will be the Italian’s championship to lose.

From the third row, Bagnaia made a perfect start to the 20-lap race, blasting into second by turn one behind pole-setter Jorge Martin on the Prima Pramac Ducati.

Defending champion Fabio Quartararo squeezed the Monster Energy Yamaha into sixth from his 12th-place start.

Lap seven and Martin’s race was over as the Spaniard crashed out at turn five, leaving Bagnaia leading from Gresini Racing Ducati rider Enea Bastianini with Quartararo now third.

Bastainini fancied his chances for victory and at turn four on lap 11 he was late on the brakes and through to lead.

Bagnaia wasn’t finished and with six laps to go he retook the lead at turn one and controlled the remainder of the race to claim his seventh win of the season, crossing the line 0.270s ahead of Bastianini, with Quartararo nearly three seconds adrift in third.

“I gave my maximum today...I couldn‘t have done better than this – at least we bring the title fight to Valencia,” said Quartararo.

Bagnaia added: “I did my best start of my life. Today we did a really good job for the championship.

"I will have to finish 14th if he wins in Valencia. It’s easy to say now, but it will be very tough because sometimes when you are careful, you have more trouble, you have more mistakes.

"I will try just to do a normal weekend like this one, maybe with less crashes – because this weekend I crashed too much - and be smart, for sure. To work well, to be in the front, and if I have the possibility to win, I will try to win again."

Elf Marc VDS rider Tony Arbolino claimed victory in the Moto2 race after a dramatic final lap that saw Japanese rider Ai Ogura slid out while challenging for the win.

Alonzo Lopez finished second with Jake Dixon, claiming his sixth podium of the season for the Inde GASGAS Aspar Team, in third.

Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished fourth and now leads the series with one round remaining.

“I let them go at the beginning and then slowly tried to catch them back up,” smiled Dixon. “I think I left it too far initially though and used too much energy. Unfortunately for Ogura he went down on the last lap, so that meant I got on the podium.

"People can see that I fought hard for every position I got.”

Scotland’s John McPhee claimed a sensational victory in the Moto3 race - his first of the season - coming through from 22nd on the grid to win the 17-lap race, with Sterilgarda Husqvarna team-mate Ayumu Sasaki securing second and Gaviota GasGas Aspar’s Sergio Garcia completing the podium.

"I’m proud of myself for that one,” said McPhee. “I had to dig so deep...it’s been such a tough season, such a tough weekend.

"Yesterday, honestly, I nearly went and stopped...I was just having so many issues and felt dangerous on the bike.

"So, just so happy for me, happy for the guys that have supported me...that one was for everyone that stuck behind me and supported me.

"One last win in Moto3 and we’ve got one more opportunity in Valencia.”