MotoGP: Bagnaia Wins Valencia GP As Rossi Finishes 10th In His Career's Final Race

The 18th and final round of the 2021 MotoGP saw Francesco Bagnaia along with Jorge Martin and Jack Miller claim a first-ever 1-2-3 finish for Ducati in MotoGP history. This was Bagnaia's fourth win of the season as he finishes as a runner-up in the riders' standings behind world champion Fabio Quartararo. However, the 2021 Valencia Grand Prix was also the swan song for Bagnaia's mentor Valentino Rossi who signed off his 26-year grand prix career with a 10th place finish. The MotoGP legend announced his retirement from the premier-class championship earlier this season.

Also Read: Francesco Bagnaia Wins Algarve GP As Ducati Bags Constructors' Championship 2021

Fantastic! #GrazieVale #ValenciaGP pic.twitter.com/C52fOfnpnO

— MotoGP(@MotoGP) November 14, 2021

The Valencia GP was indeed important for the fans of the legend and Rossi sure made sure to show gratitude to fans and teams alike. The Petronas Yamaha garage, his home this season, as well as fans, were in tears to see the legend, in what was truly an emotional moment the world over. With 432 Grand Prix starts and nine world championship titles over a span of 26 seasons, Rossi remains one of the most successful riders of all time.

Never has a standing ovation been more deserved!

@ValeYellow46 #GrazieVale #ValenciaGP pic.twitter.com/tILO5X2TqZ

— MotoGP (@MotoGP) November 14, 2021

The race though belonged to his protege Francesco Bagnaia. Jorge Martin started on the pole and a great start catapulted him into the lead with Jack Miller and Joan Mir following closely. Miller took the lead at the start of the second lap but only for Martin to retaliate on the next corner. The rider was also facing heat from Mir who was looking to pass the Ducati on the next corner. However, Miller began to struggle in the early stages and that gave Bagnaia and Suzuki's Alex Rins the opportunity to pass him to take P2 and P3 respectively. The top four riders comprising Martin, Bagnaia, Rins and Mir were quick to break off from the rest of the field by Lap 5, but Mir was struggling to keep up with the top three on the following lap.

Francesco Bagnaia leading the pack on the final lap of the season

Rins was gaining on Bagnaia and the riders even traded places but the Suzuki rider's hopes turned to dust on Lap 11 as he crashed out of contention. Martin and Bagnaia were now leading the race with Mir at a distant third. It was now time for Bagnaia to gain on the Pramac Ducati rider and made several attempts on the following tours. Nevertheless, Bagnaia did find the opportunity soon after Lap 15 and was now four-tenths ahead of Martin. By Lap 22, the rider began extending his lead and eventually crossed the line with a gap of 0.489s over Martin.

Also Read: Fabio Quartararo Crowned 2021 MotoGP World Champion

A first-ever 1-2-3 finish for Ducati with Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Jack Miller on the podium

Behind the top two riders, Jack Miller managed to recover and pass Mir as the Suzuki rider's pace faded in the second half to could only manage P4. The rider finished ahead of Fabio Quartararo by just two-tenths of a second followed by Pramac Ducati Johann Zarco taking sixth. Brad Binder took P7 on the KTM with Enea Bastiniani taking eighth and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro finishing ninth.

Rossi finished list race in 10th after qualifying in the same. The rider managed to pip Franco Morbidelli on the factory Yamaha who claimed 11th with  SRT's Andrea Dovizioso, LCR's Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira (KTM) and Tech 3's Iker Lecuona claiming the final points. The Valencia GP also saw Danilo Petrucci on the Ducati and Lecuona in their final race as Petrucci finished 18th. Maverick Vinales on the Aprilia and Luca Marini on the Avintia Ducati finished 16th and 17th respectively.

A lovely hug between @ValeYellow46 and @Petrux9 as they end their #MotoGP career

We'll miss having you around Danilo! #GrazieVale #ValenciaGP pic.twitter.com/NKnWTmlTqI

— MotoGP (@MotoGP) November 14, 2021

The season also concluded with Marc Marquez on the sidelines after a training incident left with vision issues, while teammate Pol Espargaro had to sit this one out following the massive high slide on Saturday with no factory Hondas on the grid. LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami crashed out too.