Quartararo crowned world champion after dramatic Bagnaia crash

Bagnaia
grabs
Misano
pole,
Quartararo
15th

Yamaha
rider
Quartararo
had
to
outscore
Bagnaia
by
three
points
in
Sunday’s
race
to
bring
an
end
to
the
title
battle
with
two
races
to
go,
but
a
career-worst
finish
of
15th
in
qualifying
meant
the
Frenchman
had
plenty
of
work
to
do.

The
22-year-old
gradually
climbed
the
field
after
a
slow
start
that
saw
him
drop
two
more
places,
yet
he
was
still
fifth,
well
off
leader
Bagnaia,
with
five
laps
to
go
in
Italy.

Then
came
an
incredible
moment
as
Bagnaia,
on
course
for
a
third
victory
in
four
races,
lost
the
front
of
the
Desmosedici
into
turn
15
to
effectively
hand
Quartararo
the
title
–
and
a
first
for
Yamaha
since
2015.

Quartararo
continued
his
ascent
into
third
place
before
dropping
behind
Enea
Bastianini
into
his
eventual
final
position
of
fourth,
with
Marc
Marquez
and
Pol
Espargaro
leading
a
one-two
for
Repsol
Honda.

It
is
a
second
successive
triumph
for
Marquez
on
the
back
of
his
victory
at
the
Grand
Prix
of
the
Americas.

Bagnaia’s
Ducati
team-mate
Jack
Miller,
who
started
in
second,
had
earlier
crashed
out
in
a
drama-filled
race,
while
Valentino
Rossi
battled
to
10th
in
his
final
race
on
home
soil.