Francesco Bagnaia and his Ducati Desmosedici GP22 have written an important page in the history of MotoGP. In Valenciaat the last round of the 2022 World Championship, in ninth place, the Italian rider won the World Drivers’ Championship. This was the first time in the history of MotoGP that a rider and a motorcycle from the same country won the world title. The last person to succeed in the top class was Giacomo Agostini 50 years ago in 1972 when he won the 500cc title in the MV Agusta.
In addition, for the home of Borgo Panigale, he arrived world hat trick: manufacturer’s title, Ducati Lenovo team title and MotoGP driver’s title.
After finishing sixth in the standings at the end of the German Grand Prix, Bagnaia managed to close the gap of 91 points from Fabio Quartararo in 8 Grands Prix and took the lead in the championship with a 14-point lead over the Frenchman. driver at the Australian Grand Prix, Phillip Island, two races since the end of the season.
Last Grand Prix of the season it was won by Alex Rins with a Suzuki. ahead of Brad Binder and Jorge Martin. For Rins it was a symbolic success as this GP is also Suzuki’s last as he retires from MotoGP at the end of the season.
For the Bagnaia race it was at a very high voltage. A 23-point lead over Quartararo made him a big favourite, but anything is possible in racing, especially considering the French Yamaha rider certainly didn’t row the boat. The Italian rider handled the pressure very well and led the test race despite some risks in the first laps. After all, 14th place was enough and Quartararo had to aim for first to hope for a final victory. As a result, the Frenchman took fourth place. However, we must give him credit for trying to the end.
For Ducati it is second World Drivers’ Championship title. The first one was won Stoner back in 2007. It took 15 years of waiting for the Borgo Panigale house, but finally the second confirmation came. Moreover, this victory for Bagnaia comes 13 years after Valentino Rossi’s last driver’s championship.
World 2022, which also had the main characters Enea Bastianini and Aprilia. The Italian rider took third place in the standings. The Italian manufacturer, on the other hand, returned to the main protagonists, and it was only at the end that he lost second place in the constructors’ standings to Yamaha’s prerogative due to a somewhat opaque end to the season. For a long time, Aleix Espargaro even dreamed of winning the drivers’ championship. As a result, the Spaniard had to be content with the fourth position.
The Valencia Grand Prix was not just Suzuki’s last race. but also mobile clinic which eventually saved the lives of many pilots. At the end of the GP, Bagnaya commented on the victory in the World Championship:
We should be truly happy and proud of the incredible work we have done. After Germany we had 91 points behind the leader, but we found the right motivation to recover and win the title in Valencia. Together we have shown that we are really strong and able to cope even with difficult situations. Today’s race was also very difficult because after the contact with Fabio I lost a flap on my bike and since then I have struggled a lot but I am really proud and happy with the result. I also want to congratulate Fabio, who has been an incredible opponent all season. Beating a respected rider, as I respect Fabio, makes this title even more valuable.
Source: HD Motori
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