The eight DNFs that denied Bagnaia the 2024 MotoGP title

Francesco Bagnaia joined an elusive club of just five riders to have won 11 or more grands prix in a single season in the premier class when he triumphed in last weekend’s MotoGP finale in Barcelona.

Yet when he returned to the Ducati garage after taking the chequered flag, he was forced to take off the #1 sticker that has adorned his Desmosedici for the last two years.

While Bagnaia magnanimously accepted his championship defeat to Pramac rival Jorge Martin, even watching the podium celebrations from the sidelines as the Spaniard basked in the sparkling wine, the disappointment was clear to see as a third title had slipped from his grasp.

With a winning ratio of well over 50%, Bagnaia would have likely won the title in any other season – but not in 2024 and not with sprint races awarding nearly half the points of a grand prix.

Last season, the Italian’s weak point was his performance in sprints, which is where Martin would really regain the points he lost to him in grands prix. But this year, after initial hiccups, Bagnaia stepped up a gear in half-distance races and ended the season with the same number of sprint victories as Martin with seven triumphs.

The difference in total points scored on Saturdays was still the deciding factor against Bagnaia, but that was more down to the sheer number of times he failed to finish races – not a lack of speed in the short format. In fact, five of the eight retirements Bagnaia suffered over the course of the season were in sprints.

His title rival, meanwhile, was not only consistently finishing on the podium, but he was also able to stay upright more often, failing to see the chequered flag just three times all year.

Here’s a look at the eight DNFs that cost Bagnaia the 2024 MotoGP title.

Portuguese Grand Prix

Potential points lost: 10-11

Having already given away a likely victory in the sprint and dropped to fourth with a mistake at Turn 1, Bagnaia fared even worse in the Sunday race at Portimao.

Running a distant fifth with just three laps to run, Bagnaia was defending from future team-mate Marc Marquez when the latter attempted an overtake into Turn 5. But the Gresini rider ran wide and, as Bagnaia attempted to retake position, the two riders collided and ended up in the gravel.

While the Italian admitted to being “angry” in the immediate aftermath of the…