Bagnaia wins the 2022 MotoGP title for Ducati

Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia won the 2022 MotoGP championship with a ninth-place finish on his Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici in the Valencia GP at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, Spain.

The title came thanks to a historic comeback by Bagnaia. At one point in the season he trailed defending champion Fabio Quartararo by 91 points in the standings. 

Pecco managed to close the gap over eight Grands Prix and took the lead in the championship with 14 points over the Frenchman in the Australian GP, at Phillip Island, with two races to go.

After increasing his lead to 23 thanks to a stunning victory at Sepang in Malaysia, Bagnaia needed only a ninth place at Valencia to secure Ducati's second Riders' World Title in the premier class, 15 years after Casey Stoner's first title in 2007. 

"We have to be really happy and proud of the incredible work we did," said Bagnaia. "Together we showed that we are really strong and can handle even complicated situations. Today's race was also really difficult because after the contact with Fabio, I lost a wing of my bike, 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 coming in front of a rider you respect, as I respect Fabio, gives even more value to this title."

For the 25-year-old from Turin and the Bologna-based manufacturer, this is a historic achievement: with seven wins, ten podiums and five pole positions this year, Bagnaia becomes the first Italian rider to win the MotoGP World Championship on an Italian bike, the Ducati Desmosedici GP.

The last person to do so in the top class was Giacomo Agostini 50 years ago, in 1972, when he won the title in the 500cc category with the MV Agusta.

Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding, said this championship was a team effort.
"This is a fantastic day for all of Ducati! Ducati Corse has worked steadfastly and resolutely to achieve this second MotoGP Riders' Title that makes our hearts burst with joy today. Racing is so tied to the passion of Ducatisti, and my path in Ducati is also so tied to racing that I am really extremely happy today…I want to congratulate Pecco, who had an incredible season in which he had the great merit of always believing, even when the comeback seemed impossible."

The Valencia GP was also Jack Miller's last race with Ducati. Starting with the third fastest time, the Australian rider had managed to stay in the top positions fighting for the podium, but with four laps to go, he crashed out while he was third. Miller ends the season in fifth place in the championship thanks to one win and seven podiums, besides a pole position.