MotoGp Barcelona Today: Bagnaia Wins, But It's Not Enough. Martin World Champion

Barcelona, ​​17 November 2024 – Victory in the Barcelona GP it's not enough to Pecco Bagnaia and to the official Ducati. George Martin closes in third position and with his Ducati Pramac wins the title of MotoGP World Champion 2024. Everything in a Grand Prix had to be and so it was. Without any particular thrills to tell the truth. Today on the Montmelò circuit, last stage of the World Championship, Pecco started in pole position and led the race from the first to the last lap. Behind him, but never on the attack, Marc Marquez who finished second in the Gp della Solidarietà and, thanks to the seventh place of Enea Bastianini, climbs onto the final podium of the drivers rankingScrolling through the Barcelona rankings here Alex Marquez, fourth, and Aleix Espargaro, fifth, authors of an exciting final duel. Sixth place for Binder, then Bastianini, Morbidelli, Bezzecchi and Acosta to close today's top 10. 

With 25 points available, Bagnaia, coming off a perfect Saturday with pole and victory in the Sprint Race, an adverse result from Martin was needed to avoid abdicating. A ninth place that did not arrive. Today's party is all Spanish. For the Italian driver, the consolation of theeleventh win of the season. The final drivers standings recital George Martin 508 points, bagnaia 498 and Marc Marquez 392. In Barcelona the party is all Spanish, with Pecco who, although dejected, hugs Jorge and does not fail to pay homage to him in his statements. The Spaniard, in tears, is carried in triumph by his team. 

The Terminator gag

“See you later, baby.” George Martin is transformed into Terminator to seal his triumph. Wearing the half-black suit he wore during the race, he puts on a mask that turns half of his face into the famous robot from the apocalyptic film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. He then mimes the gesture of the gun to 'hit' an ice cube from which the celebratory golden helmet with the world champion's number 1 emerges. 

A first for a customer team

A day that writes MotoGP history: for the first time in the modern era, a customer team takes home the World Championship. The last to do so was Valentino Rossi, his idol, a lifetime ago. It was 2001, but we were still talking about the 500 class and two-stroke engines. Riding his Honda Nastro Azzurro Rossi finished ahead of Biaggi, so the move to the official Hrc team instead of Alex Criville, the first Spanish world champion in the premier class.

The MotoGP riders' standings

The pilots' statements

Pecco Bagnaia closes the season in the name of sportsmanship, as well as with yet another victory. "I don't want to take the spotlight away from Jorge Martin, who deserves this achievement,” he says a few minutes after crossing the finish line. “I want to thank my team for the incredible work this season, the rest is all thanks to Martin,” he adds. 

The Spaniard was clearly euphoric. "The feeling is wonderful – says Martin -. This win is for my team, my family and everyone who supported me.” He then reveals: “In the last laps I couldn’t even see, I was already crying. Now that we’ve released the pressure we can finally celebrate.”

He also congratulates Martin Marc Marquez. "Today is his day," says the Spaniard from the Ducati Gresini team. "I was super focused as if I were fighting for the championship. Finishing on the podium was the best way to thank the Gresini family who welcomed me."

Motogp riders final standings

1. Jorge Martin (Esp) 508 points

2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ita) 498

3. Marc Marquez (Esp) 392

4. Enea Bastianini (Ita) 386

5. Brad Binder (RSA) 217

6. Pedro Acosta (Esp) 216

7. Maverick Vinales (Esp) 190

8. Alex Marquez (Esp) 173

9. Franco Morbidelli (Ita) 173

10. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ita) 165

Motogp constructors final standings

1. Ducati 722 points

2. Ktm 327

3. Aprilia 302

4. Yamaha 124

5. Honda 75

Highlights

- It starts off well bagnaia, immediately ahead of everyone, not least Martin. The Spaniard shoots to second place, before being overtaken by Marc Marquez on the second lap and slipping to third place. 

- With 17 laps to go, a close fight between Bagnaia and Marquez for the first position. Martin third, apparently calm and detached from the leading pair. Enea Bastianini slipped to seventh position, clearly in difficulty

- 10 laps to go bagnaia has a few tenths on Marc Marquez. More detached Martin, third, who still maintains a reassuring margin – of about a second – over Aleix Espargaro. Seventh Bastianini who, were he to finish like this, would lose third place in the riders' standings to Marc Marquez

- 5 laps to go bagnaia seems to stretch on Marquez. Martin pays more than two seconds to the leading pair and has less than a second of margin from Espargaro, fourth, while Acosta's ninth position is a sidereal distance. Bastianini climbed to third position.

- Bagnaia extends his lead over Marquez and wins without any particular worries in the final laps. Martin finishes third with a margin and becomes world champion. 

MotoGp Barcelona, ​​relive the live

Moto2

Aron Canet confirms his great season finale, also winning the Barcelona GP. Riding the Kalex, the Spaniard thus finishes in second place in the championship, behind the world champion, Ai Ogura. Despite a disastrous start from pole, Canet managed to recover from tenth position. Manuel had to settle for second place Gonzalez (Kalex): The Spaniard from Team Gresini closes his championship in third position. First podium in Moto2, instead, for the Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira (Kalex), in third place. Fourth place for Ogura (Boscoscuro), overtaken in the final by Moreira; then, fifth the Czech Filip Salac (Kalex). Sergio also in the top ten Garcia, Izan GuevaraAlbert Arenas, Alonso Lopez and Fermin Aldeguer: only fourteenth Tony Arbolino. Celestine's Race Drive it ended, instead, at the beginning of the second lap. In the braking of the straight the Italian was hit by Zonta Van den Goorbergh, falling into the gravel together with his opponent.

Moto3

David Alonso (CfMoto) gives itself the fourteenth joy of his glorious season. The Colombian driver, in fact, also won the Barcelona Grand Prix. Due to some fairing damage, Alonso had slipped to sixth position with three laps to go. However, the recovery of the new world champion was however relentless for his opponents. Today's podium is completed by the Spaniards Daniel holgado (GasGas), in second place, and from Angel Piqueras (Honda), third. Jose Antonio Wheel (KTM) and Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM) are respectively in fourth and fifth place. In order, the top ten is composed of Munoz, Furusato, Roulstone, Ortola, Veijer. Bad race, however, for the Italians: the best result is the fifteenth place of Matteo Bertelle. Luca Lunetta he finished eighteenth after serving two long laps: Stefano, on the other hand, fell Nepa.