Francesco Bagnaia is 2022 MotoGP World Champion

After overhauling the largest points deficit in MotoGP history, Ducati’s Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia has won the 2022 MotoGP World Championship, defeating defending champion, Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, who was leading the title fight until the very last rounds.

Bagnaia’s first championship in the premier class, the 2022 title is also the first for an Italian since Valentino Rossi in 2009, the first for a Ducati rider since Casey Stoner in 2007 and the first for an Italian on an Italian bike since Giacomo Agostini and MV Agusta 50 years ago in 1972.

The 25-year-old came into the 2022 season finale at Valencia with an almost insurmountable 23-point lead, so only needed to finish the race in 14th place or higher, even if Quartararo won.

That was a far cry from the Italian’s position earlier in the season, when it seemed like Quartararo was running away to an easy second championship.

Quartararo had led the championship from the opening round, and after the German Grand Prix in June (the mid-point of the 20-round season), the Frenchman's advantage stood at 91 points, aided by back-to-back DNFs from Bagnaia, who was sixth in the championship at that point.

However, in the next eight rounds, Quartararo DNF’d or finished outside the points on three occasions, while Bagnaia took four wins in succession and a second place to close the gap to just two points coming into the Australian Grand Prix in October.

When Quartararo crashed out of the Australian GP and Bagania finished third, the championship advantage went to the Italian for the first time in 2022 - by 14 points with two rounds remaining.

At the Malaysian Grand Prix, a win for Bagnaia and third for Quartararo meant the Italian came to the finale at Valencia with the aforementioned 23-point advantage and one hand on the trophy. Bagnaia also came into the finale with some confidence, having won at Valencia in 2021.

The early advantage went to Quartararo when he qualified fourth, while Bagnaia’s best was only good enough for eighth on the grid.

In the race, the two contenders locked horns early, ripping a wing off Bagnaia’s Desmosedici GP21, with the pair trading positions before things settled. Quartararo ultimately finished fourth, which meant Bagnaia’s safe ninth place was more than enough to wrap up the 2022 MotoGP World Championship, completing a hat trick for Ducati that included the 2022 Constructors’ and Teams’ World Championships.

The immediate post-race celebrations were to the theme of “#PerfectComb1nation”, referring to the Italian’s racing number of 63, which has origins with the 21 he ran in Moto3, then 42 in Moto2, before adding another “21” to get his premier class number. Bagnaia entered that 21-42-63 combination to unlock a box with a golden champion’s helmet.

"We have to be really happy and proud of the incredible work we did,” Bagnaia said. “After Germany, we found ourselves 91 points off the top, but we found the right motivation to come back and win the title in Valencia. Together, we showed that we are really strong and can handle even complicated situations.

“[The] race was also really difficult because after the contact with Fabio, I lost a wing, and from there on, I 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 throughout the season. To win in front of a rider you respect, as I respect Fabio, gives even more value to this title."

The stats for Bagnaia’s championship winning season include five poles and six other front row starts, seven race wins, three other podiums and three fastest race laps. The final championship points total was 265 for Bagnaia and 248 for Quartararo.