Italy’s Francesco Bagnaia retained his MotoGP world title and celebrated with victory in the final race of the season in Valencia on Sunday. The 26-year-old Ducati rider secured the championship when his only rival, Jorge Martin, crashed early in the race. Martin walked off in frustration as six-time champion Marquez limped away in his final race for Honda. Martin returned to the pitlane in tears and was embraced by his team after his crash, leaving the 93,000 spectators in shock. Despite Martin’s early pressure, Bagnaia rode a perfect race and regained the lead after Jack Miller crashed. Bagnaia recorded his seventh win of the campaign, crossing the finish line first. Fabio Di Giannantonio finished second, holding off Frenchman Johann Zarco. Bagnaia celebrated by slam dunking a basketball and putting three gold rings on his fingers after the race. This victory marks the second consecutive year that Bagnaia has won the title on the final day, maintaining his lead over Martin.
