Francesco Bagnaia came agonisingly close to successfully achieving three consecutive MotoGP championships in Barcelona.
The Italian rider won 11 races – eight more than eventual title winner Jorge Martin but lacked a little more consistency.
However, he let himself down with some silly incidents that ultimately, denied him the overall honours in the second half of the season.
A margin of 10 points could easily be accounted for with with one less retirement or mistake – but that’s the beauty of MotoGP, there’s no going back.
Stefan Bradl criticises Francesco Bagnaia’s ‘many mistakes’
Stefan Bradl and Pecco haven’t met each other on track that much during their respective careers, but the German offered comment on his season in the paddock after the race in Barcelona.
The retiring German was buoyant in his assessment of Martin’s season, but slightly more critical of Bagnaia’s actions.
“In the end, Jorge Martin, and if you put it very shortly again in clear words at the end,” he told Servus TV On Sport.
“Listen, Martin – he got more points, he was more consistent, he got a lot of points from last year when he was already fighting for the World Cup.
“Pecco has made so many mistakes again, especially the Sprint in Malaysia that didn’t have to be at all. He could have avoided that in Aragon with Alex Marquez. But at the end of the day, Jorge Martin absolutely deserved to be world champion.”
Bagnaia or Martin – who will win in 2025?
With a whole magnitude of changes incoming for the 2025 season, the field could flip upside down again as some of the riders move teams.
Reigning champion Martin will be moving away from Ducati to join Aprilia Racing, to replace the retiring Aleix Esparago.
It means that he’s moving away from what has been considered the best bike in the sport for a long while now – a bold move.
Marc Marquez gets to be Pecco’s teammate, which is going to be a spectacle in itself and add some extra pressure to the Italian’s shoulders.
Anything could happen, and the possibility of a Marquez vs Bagnaia fight is on the cards at the very least, and possibly Martin too if he can find a way to replicate his consistency with Aprilia.