Italy's Francesco Bagnaia celebrated a fairytale day as he secured his second consecutive MotoGP world title and capped it off with a victory in the season-ending race in Valencia on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Ducati rider's championship win was assured when his only rival, Jorge Martin, crashed early in the race. Unaware of the incident, Bagnaia maintained his lead on his Ducati, while Martin's Ducati-Pramac clipped Marc Marquez's Honda, resulting in both riders crashing out.
Martin, who had shown promise by surging from sixth to second on the grid, walked away in frustration after the incident, and Marquez limped away in his final race for Honda. Martin, emotional and embraced by his team members, returned to the pitlane in tears. Although Bagnaia faced a close call when Martin clipped his bike on the second lap, he managed to recover and eventually clinched the title as his rival encountered further troubles, dropping to eighth place.
Bagnaia demonstrated flawless riding, reclaiming the lead after Jack Miller's spectacular crash. Despite a challenge from last week's Qatar winner, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Bagnaia maintained his composure and crossed the finish line with elation, punctuating his victory by punching the air. After dismounting his bike, he celebrated by slam-dunking a basketball and adorning three gold rings on his fingers.
This marks the second consecutive year that Bagnaia secured the title on the final day, with Martin narrowing the gap to just 14 points after a sprint race victory on Saturday.
