Bagnaia wins title after Martin crashes into Marquez

Bagnaia and Martin came into the championship decider in Valencia split by 14 points after the latter won the sprint on Saturday.

Ducati rider Bagnaia only needed to finish fifth to seal the deal, and started from pole following a penalty for poleman Maverick Vinales after he ignored the meatball flag in warm-up for a technical issue.

Bagnaia took the lead off the line, with Martin launching up to second from sixth into Turn 2 on the opening lap.

The pair ran close until Martin ran off at Turn 1 when he outbraked himself at the start of lap three, sending him down to eighth.

On lap six it all ended for Martin when he collided with Honda’s Marc Marquez on the eight-time world champion’s final appearance for the team while battling for fifth.

Martin tapped the rear of the Honda as he tried to overtake at Turn 4, sending Marquez into a nasty highside while the Pramac rider went down himself.

Bagnaia cannot be beaten in the championship, making him the first Ducati rider in history to win two MotoGP titles and the first back-to-back champion since Marquez in 2019.

With Martin crashing out of the race and not winning the championship, it is unlikely that he will be promoted to the factory team for 2024.

The race is still ongoing.