The 2024 MotoGP season: Part two
22 November 2024The 2024 MotoGP title fight came down to two riders – Aprilia-bound Jorge Martín and reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia. What made the showdown even more intriguing was the genuine challenge from an Independent team in the hands of the Spaniard, going up against the might of the Italian factory Ducati outfit and Bagnaia.
That’s not to say there weren’t others who stole the spotlight this season. An up-and-coming hotshot made a name for themselves while an infamous champion returned to winning ways ahead of what promises to be an intriguing 2025. Here’s what happened in the second half of the 2024 MotoGP season…
READ THE FIRST HALF: The 2024 MotoGP season so far
British Grand Prix
Fresh off the back of his Sachsenring setback, Martín led out of the gates in the Silverstone Sprint. A poor start for Bagnaia meant he was pushing hard to close on the top three. Eventually, he pushed too hard and crashed out at The Loop. Back at the front, Enea Bastianini snatched the win from Martín with 2023 GP winner Aleix Espargaró completing the podium.
Eager to make amends in the GP, Bagnaia got the holeshot, but Bastianini on the other Ducati was the one to watch. Having run wide on the second lap – dropping from second to fourth – The Beast was on a charge and made light work of Espargaró.
Despite his early lead, Bagnaia was struggling for pace and dropped behind Martín and Bastianini who then went into combat for the lead. On the penultimate tour, the Spaniard ran wide in the first sector, enabling Bastianini to slip past and take an emphatic victory ahead of the two title contenders.
Grand Prix von Österreich
Martín and Bagnaia were at it again in the Austrian Sprint, trading blows in the early laps before Martín ran wide over the chicane and earned himself a long lap penalty. He rejoined in third, handing second to Márquez. The order would change again when Márquez crashed out at Turn 3. Untroubled at the front, Bagnaia took the win to draw level on points with Martín in second and Espargaró crossed the line third.
Martín wasn’t going to be flustered so easily in the GP, seizing the lead into Turn 1. Bagnaia responded immediately though, taking the lead on the second tour and went on to take the win and with it, the championship lead. Martín finished second ahead of Bastianini and a resurgent Márquez who recovered from 13th on the first lap to fourth.
Gran Premio de Aragón
From the outset, Márquez was the man to beat at Aragón. Starting from pole, he assumed the lead ahead of Martín and the ever-impressive rookie Pedro Acosta in third. Meanwhile, Bagnaia was dropping back through the pack as the factory Ducati riders struggled with set-up. Remarkably, Márquez took his first victory in a Sprint with Martín and Acosta retaining the second and third spots. Further back, Bagnaia languished down in ninth.
Another poor start for Bagnaia in the GP dropped him down to seventh at the start. Once again it was the pole man Márquez who took an early lead, but this time Acosta claimed the second spot. It wasn’t long before Martín muscled his way past Acosta to replicate the same top three as the Sprint.
In the pack, Bagnaia was recovering well but when he went side-by-side with Alex Márquez, the pair collided ending their respective races in the gravel. For the other Márquez, the race turned out very differently as he took his first win since 2021. Crucially for the championship, Martín reclaimed the points lead and opened up a margin to Bagnaia.
Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini
In the first of two back-to-back events at Misano, Martín got a superb start to take the lead of the Sprint from pole man Bagnaia who slotted into second. The leading duo held station for the duration, with Martín extending his points advantage and Pramac team-mate Franco Morbidelli came home third.
With the threat of rain looming on the grid, Bagnaia got the best start from pole while Martín made quick work of Morbidelli to get into second. As the weather worsened, Martín pulled into the pits for an unexpected bike change, but conditions weren’t yet at the crossover point. The rest of the field stayed out, and the Spaniard was soon back to swap back, dropping a lap down in the process.
Unsurprisingly, Márquez was the man on the move in unpredictable conditions and scythed his way past the leading trio of Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Bagnaia to head the pack. Taking his second GP victory in succession, Márquez was beginning to look like a genuine title contender, while Bagnaia and Bastianini completed the podium, and Martín took a solitary point from 15th.
Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna
For the second week in a row, Bagnaia took pole at Misano and for the second week in a row, Martín snatched the Sprint holeshot from him into Turn 1. It was a rare mistake from Martín that would prove pivotal in this race though, as he ran wide and handed the win to his title rival.
Another excellent launch from Martín meant he briefly held the lead into Turn 1 of the GP, but Bagnaia astutely cut underneath him on corner exit to retake the lead. The pair traded blows in the first few laps, but it was Martín who finally came out on top.
As the race progressed, Bastianini looked the stronger of the Ducati riders and promptly took second from his team-mate, then set about chasing down Martín. Having rediscovered his pace, Bagnaia began closing the gap to the top two but pushed too hard and crashed out with seven laps remaining. On the final lap, Bastianini strong-armed his way past Martín with a firm move to take the win. A frustrated Martín finished second and Márquez third.
Grand Prix of Indonesia
In the Indonesian Sprint, Martín got a great start from pole to lead Bagnaia and Acosta. But the Pramac rider would push too hard, too early, and dropped the bike on the first lap dropping to 18th. That left his title rival to take the win from the duelling pair of Bastianini and Márquez. Martín eventually recovered to 10th but scored no points meaning the gap in the championship reduced to 12.
Still reeling from his Sprint blunder, Martín would not be denied the top spot in the GP and led from start to finish, despite constant pressure from Acosta who followed him home second on the Tech3 KTM. Behind them, it was anyone’s guess. Bastianini got past Morbidelli but then crashed out of contention. In the closing stages, Bagnaia got past the Pramac rider to take the final step on the podium and limit the damage done in the points.
Grand Prix of Japan
Acosta kept up his form in Japan, taking an excellent pole position in qualifying, but it was the Ducati duo of Bagnaia and Bastianini who assumed control at the start of the Sprint. Having qualified 11th, Martín made progress in the opening exchanges to move into fifth.
Acosta was out to prove a point, and quickly reclaimed the top spot from the Ducatis, but with four laps to go, the rookie crashed out of the lead at Turn 7. Baganaia, Basitainini and Márquez crossed the line within half a second of one another to take the top three spots with Martín fourth.
Just as he did in the Sprint, Bagnaia took the lead of the GP from Acosta who slotted into second ahead of Bastianini. Martín, meanwhile, got another sensational start to move into fourth before the end of the first tour.
As he gave chase for the lead, Acosta suffered a second high-profile crash ending his hopes of a maiden win, but showed he was a bona fide contender throughout the weekend. Martín and Márquez overhauled Binder to claim second and third respectively while Bagnaia’s win closed the gap to just 10 points in the championship.
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
When the paddock arrived at Philip Island it seemed as if the momentum had swung in Bagnaia’s favour, but a pole lap for Martín by half a second showed that all was not lost. The Spaniard followed that up with the holeshot in the Sprint and he didn’t look back, taking the win ahead of a resurgent Márquez who battled his way through the pack after a poor start. Bastianini relegated his team-mate Bagnaia further still who ended up finishing fourth.
Another disastrous start for Márquez saw him dropping through the pack once again, while Martín headed the pack. A long-lap penalty for second-placed Marco Bezzecchi promoted Bagnaia to second releasing him to chase after Martín.
Márquez had somehow battled his way back to the front as well, and the three titans ran line astern for a time, before the Gresini rider got past Bagnaia. From that point on, the two Spaniards sprinted clear and Márquez lunged for the lead with three laps remaining. Taking his third win of the season, Márquez was back to his best in Australia was joined on the box by the title protagonists.
Grand Prix of Thailand
Once again, the championship rivals locked horns at Turn 1 of the Sprint in Thailand, both running wide and allowing Bastianini to storm through to lead Márquez and Bagnaia. Martín wasted no time getting back into second though, and eventually finished second behind Bastianini, but crucially head of Bagnaia.
Tension was high ahead of a wet start for the GP of Thailand, and once again the top two went side-by-side on Lap 1. This time though, Martín retained the advantage while Márquez claimed third. It wouldn’t last long, as Martín ran wide allowing Bagnaia and Márquez through.
The six-time champion made his intentions known, pressuring Bagnaia before crashing out and handing second back to Martín. Bagnaia showed his class in mastering the tricky conditions to win ahead of Martín, while Acosta bested Miller in an all-KTM tussle for the final podium spot.
Grand Prix of Malaysia
The 2024 campaign was reaching its crescendo as MotoGP arrived in Malaysia. Martín started his assault by getting the better of Bagnaia off the line, while Márquez slotted into third. As had become the norm, the three protagonists went into battle, but in a potentially championship-defining twist, Bagnaia crashed out of another Sprint. Martín crossed the line first adding valuable points to his tally ahead of Márquez and Bastianini.
After an initial red flag, Bagnaia got a better second start to surge into an early lead. He didn’t break away though, and Martín piled the pressure as the pair traded places, corner after corner in the opening three laps. Eventually Bagnaia opened a gap to win from his rival and keep hopes of a third title alive. Just 24 points separated the top two with one round remaining.
Grand Prix of Barcelona
Bagnaia took pole for the final round and when Martín qualified on the second row, the stars looked to be aligning for the Italian. But Martín got a demon start and dived to the inside of Bagnaia into Turn 1, when they both ran wide, Bastianini got the better of the pair of them. A swift and decisive move from Bagnaia meant he retook the lead. Martín was keen to get past too, but Bastianini made life difficult for the champion elect and the pair battled throughout the Sprint with the Italian eventually taking second behind his team-mate. Heading into the final GP of 2024, there was just 19 points in it.
Another excellent launch for Martín saw him slot in behind Bagnaia into Turn 1, but Márquez was on the prowl in the last race of the year. He made his move on Lap 2, relegating Martín to third, but as it stood that would still be enough for him to wrap up the title. Try as he might, Márquez was unable to make an impression on his future team-mate so Bagnaia took a dominant win. Martín brought his Pramac home in third to claim his first premier class championship and the first Independent MotoGP title in 23 years.
