Although Francesco Bagnaia lost the title in 2024, he did win 11 races so is proud of his achievements.
Francesco Bagnaia missed out on his third MotoGP World Championship in 2024. However, the Italian rider set new records throughout the season and led Ducati to 11 victories last season.
After losing out on the title to the Prima Pramac Racing rider, Jorge Martin, Bagnaia has learnt a lot in 2024. The 27-year-old is still incredibly proud of his 2024 season and knows where to improve in 2025.
"We clearly saw that you can always learn from many things," Bagnaia said at Campioni in Festa. "Because winning is not the most important thing. We have achieved so much, always finishing in the top three every time we have finished the race, except in Austin, which in my opinion is a great result.
"Crashing and the various bits of bad luck we've had, definitely didn't help, but in certain situations, in my opinion, losing serves as a lesson. We definitely know what to do to not make mistakes again."
'I am extremely proud of my team and Ducati in general.'
Bagnaia initially struggled when he lost the MotoGP World Championship at Barcelona. However, the worst moment for the Italian was when Max Verstappen won his fourth Formula One Championship. This highlighted the reality of what was possible for Bagnaia last season.
But Bagnaia has been gracious in defeat in the public eye and is 'extremely proud' of what Ducati and himself achieved in 2024.
"The most complicated moment in these weeks was when I learned that Verstappen had won the title for the fourth time," Bagnaia explained. "I thought back to the fact that I too, could have been a four-time World Champion and it brought me back to defeat a little bit.
"But I'm experiencing it more as an opportunity because I know why we lost, I know that we lost the title and that makes a difference. I think there is nothing to complain about what we did. It was a great season and we should be proud. I am extremely proud of my team and Ducati in general."
'I believe that there aren't any number ones in the box and should never be.'
It is greatly documented that Bagnaia and Marc Marquez will share the factory Ducati garage in 2025. It is a partnership that could either work in harmony and destroy the field, or it could create some generational battles.
Recently Marquez stated that Bagnaia is the lead rider inside the factory Ducati garage. But Bagnaia believes that inside the Ducati garage, there is no number one rider in the team.
"I believe that there aren't any number ones in the box and should never be. The season always starts on an equal footing, with the riders on the same level and with the same say. Then things change during the season and every year you start from scratch.
"If during the season one rider is ahead in the championship and the other one is further behind, I think we have to work to try to help the one in front. But in general, I think Ducati's strategy has always been correct and fair towards its riders.
"I think Marc, being an extremely intelligent person, understands immediately what is the environment and the way of working that we have. We have already seen in the tests that we have done a very good job and by starting like this we are already on the right track."
