Francesco Bagnaia joined the legendary group of riders with 11 or more race wins in a single season, an achievement he secured during the MotoGP finale in Barcelona.

However, as he returned to the Ducati garage after crossing the finish line, Bagnaia had to remove the #1 sticker that had decorated his bike for the past two years.

Despite accepting his championship defeat to Jorge Martin and watching his rival celebrate on the podium, Bagnaia's disappointment was visible. A third title had slipped through his fingers.

With a winning rate of around 50%, Bagnaia might have claimed the title in most other seasons. But 2024 was different, with sprint races accounting for nearly half the points of a full race.

While sprint races were a weak spot for Bagnaia in 2023, this year he managed to improve significantly. By the end of the season, he had matched Martin's seven sprint victories. Yet, the championship was decided not by Bagnaia’s speed in the short format but by his struggles to finish races. Of his eight retirements during the season, five came in sprint events.

Meanwhile, Martin not only consistently scored points but also avoided crashes, finishing all but three races throughout the year. Below is an analysis of Bagnaia’s DNFs that undermined his title chances:

Portuguese Grand Prix
After losing a potential victory and dropping to fourth in the main race, Bagnaia faced another setback. While defending fifth place from Marc Marquez in the closing laps, a collision at Turn 5 sent both riders into the gravel. Reflecting on the incident later, Bagnaia acknowledged the importance of sometimes sacrificing positions to avoid crashes in a championship fight.

Potential Points Lost: 10-11

Spanish Grand Prix Sprint
At Jerez, Bagnaia's race ended after Brad Binder made an aggressive move at Turn 1, leaving Bagnaia sandwiched between Binder and Marco Bezzecchi. Though the stewards deemed it a racing incident, Bagnaia had to retire immediately. Ironically, both Binder and Bezzecchi crashed out later, but the damage to Bagnaia’s title hopes had already been done.

Potential Points Lost: 4-6

French Grand Prix Sprint
After a crash in qualifying, Bagnaia switched to his secondary bike for the sprint. Struggling from the start, Bagnaia slid off the track and retired from the race. The exact issue behind his troubles was never disclosed.

Potential Points Lost: Unclear

Catalan Grand Prix Sprint
Bagnaia was poised to win his first sprint race since Austria 2023 but crashed on the final lap while leading Pedro Acosta in Barcelona. It was one of his most significant errors of the season and proved costly.

Potential Points Lost: 12

British Grand Prix Sprint
Running third at Silverstone, Bagnaia was closing in on the leaders when he crashed on lap 4. The incident not only cost him a likely podium but also allowed Martin to reduce Bagnaia’s pre-summer lead from 10 points to just one.

Potential Points Lost: 7

Aragon Grand Prix
After recovering from a poor start to climb into podium contention, Bagnaia collided with Alex Marquez while battling for third. Trapped briefly under Marquez’s bike, Bagnaia escaped uninjured but lost another 16 points, further damaging his title hopes.

Potential Points Lost: 16

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Bagnaia struggled with a poorly performing rear tire and was running third when he crashed six laps from the finish. Although Enea Bastianini’s last-lap pass on Martin minimized the points swing, it was another costly DNF for Bagnaia.

Potential Points Lost: 16

Malaysian Grand Prix Sprint
Starting from pole, Bagnaia lost the lead to Martin early on and was defending against Marc Marquez when he crashed at Turn 9. With Martin taking victory, Bagnaia’s championship deficit grew to 29 points.

Potential Points Lost: 9

Even with three wins in the final two rounds, the gap proved insurmountable. Ultimately, Bagnaia’s 2024 campaign was defined as much by brilliance as by missed opportunities.

Here is a graphic breakdown of points differences between sprints and full races:

Points difference in Sprints:

Points difference in races: