Francesco Bagnaia c🧸ame up short by 10 points in the 2024 MotoGP World Championship, and confessed Jorge Martin “did a better jo🍸b”.

Bagnaia wo🔯n more races than Martin in 2024, but also failed to score in eight races (incꦍluding Sprints) compared to Martin’s tally of four non-scores.

The Italian rider said that he realised his hopes of retaining the MotoGP title were effect𒀰ively over after he crashed out of the Malaysia Sprint atᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ the penultimate round.

“I will accept [losing the championship] in some day🔜s,” Bagnaia tol🍒d the post-race press conference at the Solidarity Grand Prix.

“But after the crash in Malaysia I understood ඣthat it was mor🦩e complicated, to gain 29 points was quite tough.

“But I jus🐎t tried to do the maximum, winning all the races remaining, and I think it was the maximum I could do.𓃲”

Bagnaia conceded that Martin had simply put together a better season, especially in te🅰rms of consistency, in 2024.

“Jorge [Martin] did a better job. In terms of con🐻sistency he ꦛwas better, he finished [16] times second during the season, so it’s something unbelievable.

“From our side, we just had a bit of bad luck, and I had also some mistakes, so it’s difficult to imagine winning a title w🧔ith eight ‘zeros’.

“We also beat the number of points compared to last season with eight zeros. So, I think we did a very good job, and we almost dominate the races in terms of ♍victories, but it wasn’t enough.

“For next year, I will have to learn from my▨ season, to learn from some situations that happened this season, and try to be better.”

After the race in Barcelon𓆉a, Bagnaia was smiling as Martin celebrated. On the face of it, it’s an unusual reaction for a rider who has just lost a title in the final race of the season, but Bagnaia explained that he was simply happyꦐ for Martin’s own achievement.

“I was just lo🍷oking looking at Jorge,” Bagnaia said. “We know each other very well, and I think if someone had to win the title that is not me, I’m happy for him.

“He d༺eserves it, he did a fantastic job, and I was just smiling seeing him celebrating because I know how nice that moment is.

“You try to arrive to this goal all your life, and as soon as you achieve it it’s the best emotion you can have. So, I was j♍ust smiling for what he achieved.𓄧”

Bagnaia “proud” despite defeat

Despite losing the title he h🦹as won in each of the past two years, B𓂃agnaia still declared himself “proud” of his 2024 season, which saw him enter the top-10 for all-time Grand Prix wins with 29, and win 18 races in total, including 11 Grands Prix which only Valentino Rossi (2002, 2005) and Marc Marquez (2019) have done before in the MotoGP era.

“I’m proud of the season, I’m proud of my team beca🐼use they did an amazing job all season,” Bagnaia said.

“E๊very time I was having trouble they were🐼 helping me a lot to improve.

“I’m looking forward to [the post-rac꧒e test on] Tuesday, I think that we have to try something great, we have to try the new bike and this is great.

“Then I w🌱ill have t꧂he honeymoon, and I think it will help me a lot to relax.

“We have to say that in the last two seasons, the amount of things to do in 🌳a race weekend have increased a lot, and in terms of the mental side it’s tiring you more.

“So, races are becoming the things♐ much easier to do in this moment.

“I’m proud of what we achieved this season, finishing second is not winning but it’s still a good result and we know why we finished second so w༺eꦺ just have to improve.”