Francesco Bagnaia moved to the top of the MotoGP World Championship standings in Australia and the Ducati rider could clinch the title in Malaysia this weekend.
It would complete a sensational turnaround from the Italian who forced his way into contention with four successive wins and three podiums in the last four races.
He is in pole position to seal a maiden title, but four riders – Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo, Aleix Espargaro and Enea Bastianini – remain in the hunt in what has been another compelling season.
Read on to find out all you need to know about how to watch this weekend’s Grand Prix of Malaysia
2022 Malaysia MotoGP: Race preview
From a 91-point deficit to the brink of the MotoGP title, Francesco Bagnaia is on the cusp of an extraordinary triumph with two races remaining in the 2022 season.
The Italian leads the standings for the first time in his career after finishing third in Australia and will win the championship in Malaysia if he outscores Fabio Quartararo by 11 points.
The Ducati rider has already completed the biggest comeback in premier class history, and should he clinch a title that once looked fanciful, it will surely be one of the greatest ever feats in all motorsports.
He moved to the top of the standings at Phillip Island after finishing third in a dramatic race that saw leader and defending champion Quartararo crash out.
Alex Rins overtook Bagnaia on the final lap and beat fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez to seal his first victory of the season in a frantic finish.
Speaking ahead of the pivotal Malaysian Grand Prix, Bagnaia insists he is not thinking about a potential crowning glory. “I will just try to do the same as we did from the summer break,” he said.
“If I start thinking about the pressure, I will put pressure on myself.
“So, I will not think about it. I will just be calm and do the weekend like we always do in the past in this championship. So, being smart will be the key for sure.”
Quartararo is still capable of winning a second successive title, but his fate is now out of his hands. There is a scenario where wins in Malaysia and Valencia will still not be enough.
Aleix Espargaro and Enea Bastianini also remain mathematically in the hunt, but it is realistically looking like a straight shootout between the top two in what promises to be an unmissable conclusion to another captivating campaign.
A simply sensational eight-race stretch has put Bagnaia within touching distance of the title. Can he become the first Italian champion since Valentino Rossi in 2009 on the same track where he won the Moto2 crown in 2018?
2022 Malaysia MotoGP: Race times
Friday 21 October
Free Practice 1: 2am – BT Sport 2
Free Practice 2: 6.15am – BT Sport 2
Saturday 22 October
Free Practice 3: 2am – BT Sport 2
Qualifying: 5am – BT Sport 2
Sunday 23 October
Warm-ups: 3am – BT Sport 2
Moto3 race: 4.15am – BT Sport 2
Moto2 race: 6am – BT Sport 2
MotoGP race: 7.30am – BT Sport 2
Chequered Flag: 9am – BT Sport 2
2022 Malaysia MotoGP: Track guide
The Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, around 50km south of Kuala Lumpur, is the location for round 19 of the 2022 MotoGP championship this weekend.
The 5.5km layout incorporates 15 turns and has been a regular fixture on the MotoGP calendar since 1991, although Covid-19 put paid to the 2020 and 2021 editions.
Maverick Vinales won the last race at the venue in 2019 and, notably, Fabio Quartararo holds the all-time lap record.
How to live stream the 2022 Malaysia MotoGP on a phone or tablet
Anyone wanting to watch the race weekend can open the BT Sport app during the times listed above and follow the link on homepage.
The app is available to download for free on iOS and Android phones and tablets.
What if I can’t watch the 2022 Malaysia MotoGP live?
No problem! Our brilliant enhanced video player is available on both the BT Sport app on mobile and tablet
Our innovative Raceday Experience allows viewers to use our interactive timeline to go back and re-watch all the key moments, overtakes and crashes.
And you can get even closer to the action with Rider 360 – hop on-board the top riders’ bikes for the ultimate immersive experience. Plus, you can enjoy the coverage along with your friends by choosing the Watch Together option.
In an added bonus, subscribers can watch back Saturday’s qualifying session in full if they miss any of the action.
And most importantly, the entire race day will remain available to watch spoiler-free immediately after broadcast – as it will on our large screen device app. Bookmark this page and return at your leisure to tune in from the outset.
Make your device’s home page spoiler-free!
Our award-winning app on mobile and tablets allows you to customise your home page to avoid seeing spoilers after big events.
To make the switch to a spoiler-free home page, open up the app and click ‘More’ in the bottom corner.
Under ‘Settings’ change the ‘Landing page’ option from ‘Home’ to ‘Spoiler-free replays’.
You will then need to exit and close your app. Once you reload the app, your home page will default to the ‘Spoiler-free’ tab in the Sports navigation menu.
Once you’re done in spoiler-free mode, you can either revert your home page back to the default option – or simply navigate away from the spoiler-free tab and check out some of our other must-see content across the app.