Francesco Bagnaia acknowledged that he needs to embrace the idea of accepting defeat rather than pushing beyond limits and risking crashes.

Despite winning 11 races this season, along with seven sprint victories, Bagnaia fell short in the championship battle to the consistent Jorge Martin.

Bagnaia’s season was marked by both bad luck and errors, including several crashes while leading races. A notable incident occurred during the sprint race in Malaysia, which left him second in the championship standings for most of the season. While Bagnaia secured remarkable victories in Malaysia and Barcelona, it was almost impossible to close the gap on Martin.

Reflecting on the season, Bagnaia admitted that there are areas for improvement during the upcoming winter break to come back stronger next year. One key lesson is the importance of holding onto positions when he isn’t the fastest, rather than pushing too hard and crashing.

“We can be very satisfied and happy with 2024, but there are areas we need to improve,” Bagnaia said. “I’ve been taken out three times by other riders, had a bike issue, and crashed four times over very small mistakes. I need to improve, and I’ll work on that for next year.”

He continued, “I’m a rider who never gives up, but sometimes it’s smarter to finish in fifth or fourth than risk a crash. This is something I will learn. Jorge showed us this season that sometimes it’s better to let someone pass and secure second place rather than overdoing it. He did a fantastic job and deserves the title.”

Bagnaia’s championship battle faced several setbacks, including a collision with Marc Marquez in Portugal and another incident in Jerez involving Brad Binder and Marco Bezzecchi. He was also taken out in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by Alex Marquez. While none of these incidents were directly his fault, Bagnaia believes he could adapt his racing style to minimize the impact of such scenarios.

“The first step is understanding situations better,” Bagnaia explained. “Three of my eight zeroes this season came from unusual incidents—Portimao with Marc, Jerez with Brad, and Aragon with Alex Marquez. While I was taken out in all three, perhaps I could have handled those moments differently.”

Reflecting on these specific moments, he added: “With Marc, he was faster, so maybe I could’ve waited instead of crossing the line. At Jerez, Brad was aggressive, and I didn’t react defensively enough. With Alex Marquez, I was clearly quicker but didn’t show patience, and it cost me. These are moments I need to learn from.”

With these lessons in mind, Bagnaia is determined to refine his approach and return stronger for the 2025 season.