Ducati, a first crown before its time?

With four riders in the first six rows of the championship, eight bikes lined up on the grid and a top speed to thrill the competition, it was difficult to imagine the manufacturers' title slipping away from Ducati. The Italian team did not fail in its quest for a third consecutive crown, winning the Holy Grail five races from the end of the season. But obviously, if this first objective was achieved relatively early and without difficulty, the one awaiting its leading driver, Francesco Bagnaia, will be quite different.

One championship folded, the other much less

It is true that this new crown acquired during the Grand Prix of Aragon (Spain), this weekend, by Ducati, is not really surprising. The Italian team was able to count on the second consecutive high-flying season of its home driver, Francesco Bagnaia (and his six victories), in addition to seeing Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) blossom at the highest level – four victories already.

And if for the constructors' championship, only the best result of a constructor is taken into account, these ten victories in fifteen rounds are more than enough to crown the Italian firm for the fourth time in its history. The Bologna team is nearly 129 points ahead of its closest adversary, Aprilia, and should prove formidable again next year, with the arrival of Bastianini in the ranks of Ducati Lenovo, the state-of-the-art stable.

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“We are happy to have secured our third consecutive manufacturers' world title, the fourth in Ducati's history in MotoGP, confides Luigi Dall'Igna, general manager of Ducati Corse. It's a result we expected, given the results achieved by our drivers this year, including Bagnaia's six wins and Bastianini's four wins. […] Now we can focus exclusively on the drivers' title: we are 10 points from the top of the standings, and with five races remaining, the championship fight is more open than ever. »

🏆 TEAM! #ForzaDucati #DucatiLenovoTeam pic.twitter.com/RQkupAjqKz

- Ducati Corse (@ducaticorse) September 18, 2022

The joy will, however, be short-lived for Luigi Dall'Igna's men, as the drivers' championship is on their side undecided. Thanks to this new podium from Bagnaia (and the abandonment of the leader fabio quartararo), the Italian firm is starting to dream of a second crown this year. The transalpine came back to just ten points behind the Frenchman, in a season which noticeably resembles that of last season. But Bagnaia had broken down at the start of the final sprint last year, falling in Misano and thus offering the title to his opponent.

This year at least, he will be able to benefit from his unfortunate experience, he who has already shown signs of maturity this weekend by securing the points for second place rather than those for victory at all costs, against his compatriot. With five races to go, including the next one on Yamaha grounds in Japan (from September 23 to 25), there is no risk of being bored in MotoGP in any case!