With 24 points ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, the situation is simple for Jorge Martín. The Spanish driver will become world champion if he manages to score two more points this Saturday than his Italian rival, double title holder. If Bagnaia manages to stay at 25 points or less at the end of this Saturday game, the title will be decided during the last Grand Prix of the season, Sunday in Barcelona.
The Catalan circuit is hosting the MotoGP final for the first time, which was moved from Valencia. The Ricardo Tormo Circuit cannot host this last event following the devastating floods which affected the region at the beginning of November, and which cost the lives of more than 200 people. Dorna, the company operating the commercial rights of MotoGP, has made this relief meeting in Barcelona a Solidarity Grand Prix, the profits of which will go to reconstruction efforts and assistance to flood victims.
> You can follow the evolution of the ranking live via the official MotoGP Live Timing, available here.
MotoGP – Solidarity GP
Relive the race live with commentary
15h27 – Thank you very much for following us during this live commentary. We'll see you tomorrow at 1:45 p.m. for the final chapter of this 2024 MotoGP season!
Barcelona – Sprint: Bagnaia beats Martin and maintains his title chances
15h26 – Beautiful image, Aleix Espargaró jumps on his machine with which he was racing in 125cc at the time for the lap of honor!
15h24 – A ninth place tomorrow will be enough for Jorge Martín to clinch the 2024 crown.
15h23 – We will therefore have to wait until the last Grand Prix of the season to know the name of the champion. Enea Bastianini takes a five-point lead over Marc Márquez in the fight for third place, which can earn him a nice financial bonus before he leaves for KTM.
12/12 – ???? Francesco Bagnaia dominates the Sprint and wins in Barcelona ahead of Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martín. The Spaniard is not titled today, he now has a 19-point lead!
12/12 – Bastianini dives inside at turn 5 and goes second! The gap in the championship would go from 24 to 19 points.
12/12 – Start of the last round! Aleix Espargaró took fourth place from Álex Márquez, but the Spanish driver should have difficulty getting onto the podium in this Sprint.
11/12 – We enter the last two rounds. Bagnaia would take three points from Martín if the ranking remained the same, but Bastianini is getting closer to Martín!
10/12 – Fabio Quartararo currently occupies ninth place, Johann Zarco eleventh. The Honda had a good end to the race, Joan Mir finishing in twelfth place.
10/12 – Pecco Bagnaia continues to lead the event with 1″4 over Martín. The gaps stabilize on a track renowned for its lack of grip, and which can remain tricky until the checkered flag.
9/12 – Jorge Martín cannot escape the group behind him, made up of Bastianini, Álex Márquez, and Espargaró. The gap is still four tenths between the #89 Ducati and the #23/
8/12 – With five laps to go, Bagnaia maintains 1″4 over Martín, who has a three-tenths advantage over Bastianini.
7/12 – Álex Márquez takes fourth place from Franco Morbidelli, then overtaken by Aleix Espargaró. The regional rider would like to finish on the podium at home, having taken part in a Grand Prix for the last time as a starter. He will be a Honda test driver next year.
7/12 – The gap stabilizes at the head of the race. Be careful for Bagnaia however, the Italian led the Sprint in May before falling on the last lap…
6/12 – Jorge Martín is 1″4 behind Bagnaia, but he is now taking the lead against Bastianini, he does not want to be stuck again behind the second official Ducati. Seven rounds remaining!
5/12 – End of the fourth lap, Pecco Bagnaia now has a one second lead over Bastianini, while Martín overtakes him again in the first chicane. The peloton returned, both drivers having slowed down in the first curve.
4/12 – Enea Bastianini takes second place at the end of the long straight. Nine laps remaining, the Italian is also fighting for a place in the championship, third against Marc Márquez.
4/12 – Martín's teammate, Franco Morbidelli, is fourth but is starting to lose touch in the top 3.
3/12 – Jorge Martín attacks after the second lap and takes second place in the first corner, the two title contenders are in the lead of the race!
3/12 – Fabio Quartararo is currently eighth, five places ahead of Johann Zarco. In front, Bagnaia tries to escape while Martín puts pressure on Bagnaia.
1/12 – Return to the pits of Pedro Acosta, who lost the entire front fairing of his KTM GasGas Tech3 following contact with Marc Márquez in the first chicane.
1/12 – Second and third on the grid, Aleix Espargaró and Marc Márquez will finish the first lap in seventh and eighth rows.
1/12 – Bagnaia and Martín get off to a good start but Enea Bastianini emerges like a devil from his box and takes the lead at the first corner! Bagnaia takes control in the third curve, ahead of Bagnaia and Martín.
15h02 – ???? Let's go for this last Sprint of the season!
15h00 – Start of the formation lap, and Jorge Martín immediately places himself in Francesco Bagnaia's wheel, there is no bad time to collect some data!
14h59 – According to Michelin readings, it is 19°C in the air and 19 also on the ground. Better conditions than yesterday, when the tarmac was, for example, only 11°C during the morning practice session.
14h58 – Although they are both wearing a soft tire at the rear, Francesco Bagnaia has chosen the hard tire at the front, unlike Jorge Martín, who will start with a medium.
14h57 – Three minutes from the start, the Safety Car, a BMW M5, sets off for its reconnaissance lap, before the starting grid is cleared for the warm-up lap.
2:55 p.m. – Only five minutes left before the start of this Sprint which will be contested over twelve laps, half the distance of tomorrow's Grand Prix.
14h54 – It will also be the third consecutive time that a Ducati rider will be titled, whether it is the official rider Bagnaia or the resident of the Pramac team, Martín.
14h52 – This is the first time in history that the MotoGP title has been decided on the final weekend three seasons in a row. In 2022 and 2023, it was Francesco Bagnaia who won, first against Fabio Quartararo then already against Jorge Martín.
14h51 – Second in the championship, Francesco Bagnaia took pole position, ahead of Aleix Espargaró and Marc Márquez. Fourth, Jorge Martín will start with his rival in the spotlight.
14h50 – While the season was supposed to end in Valencia, deadly floods forced this final to be moved to Barcelona. In May, Aleix Espargaró won the Sprint and Francesco Bagnaia the Grand Prix on this same circuit.
14h47 – To win the title today, Jorge Martín must score two points more than his rival Francesco Bagnaia. We have summarized the scenarios that could decide the title:
How can Jorge Martín become champion in the Sprint in Barcelona?
14h45 – Hello everyone, welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr to follow live the Sprint of this Barcelona Solidarity Grand Prix, which could prove decisive for the title of world champion!
