Moto2: Bagnaia wraps title up for Sky VR46 at Sepang

Francesco Bagnaia’s phenomenal Moto2 campaign has led him to wrap the championship up with a race to spare in 2018. The Italian rode an impeccable season right from the start in Qatar and a 3rd place at Sepang was just enough to give him the championship victory that so many state that he deserves.

Bagnaia and Red Bull KTM’s Miguel Oliveira had been battling all season long, with a thrilling Austrian Grand Prix the highlight of the Moto2 championship battle. However, Portugal’s Oliveira struggled with achieving good qualifying positions and that has meant that over the last few rounds, Bagnaia has been able to pull away at the front of the field – with teammate Luca Marini acting as a phenomenal wingman in Thailand and once again in Malaysia, take the win and preventing Oliveira from doing so.

Season highlights for Bagnaia include winning dogfights with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Losail) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull Ring), whilst scorching the opposition at home in Misano and taking the inaugural Moto2 Thai Grand Prix win.

“It is difficult to find the right words: we are World Champions. A unique, incredible emotion,” Bagnaia said. “I arrived here with a lot of pressure, I knew I could win the Championship and tried not to think of it. Then after qualifying, something has changed. Everything started to become real.

“After the pre-season, I understood that we had the potential to fight for the title, but now it’s different, we are World Champions after a record year with eight wins, poles and a great job from everyone.

“The list of people to thank is endless: Vale, Uccio and the whole Academy, Elena and Sky, my family, my sister and my girlfriend. Pablo and Idalio who were fundamental on and off the track. Then my team: David, Sergio, Peru, Carletto and Leo. It is everyone’s victory.

“The last 10 laps were very hard, then the penultimate lap I started to cry and shout inside the helmet. A difficult race and Luca was great. He deserves it because he was close to the fastest all the weekend and one of the most competitive during the season.”

Bagnaia will step up to the MotoGP class in 2019, with the Alma Pramac Racing Ducati team, with a direct contract to Ducati Course. Bagnaia is tipped already to be one of the revelations in the premier class of world motorsport next year, and one of Italy’s next hot prospects.