Ducati’s 2021 MotoGP season in review

---

The 2021 MotoGP season will be one to remember for Ducati as the Italian marque had their most successful season ever as far as podiums on their way to lifting the constructors title.

With seven victories in MotoGP in 2021, Ducati is the manufacturer that achieved the most successes this year. Eleven is the record of wins obtained by the Italian manufacturer in a single season and dates back to 2007.

2021 was the best year ever for Ducati in terms of podium finishes in MotoGP. Ducati scored 24 podiums with five different riders: Pecco Bagnaia, Jack Miller, Jorge Martín, Johann Zarco and Enea Bastianini. It is a record for Ducati, which has 2019 as its second-best year with 17 podiums.

For the first time since its MotoGP debut in 2003, Ducati placed three of its bikes on the podium in a single Grand Prix. This happened in the final round of the 2021 season; the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana won by Pecco Bagnaia ahead of Jorge Martín and Jack Miller.

Ducati won the Constructors’ Title for the second consecutive year and the third in its MotoGP history. Five riders contributed to the title win with 357 total points: Pecco Bagnaia (167 points), Jack Miller (63 points), Johann Zarco (86 points), Jorge Martín (25 points) and Enea Bastianini (16 points).

The Ducati Lenovo Team won the MotoGP Teams’ World Title with 433 points. It is the second World Title won by Ducati’s factory team. The first came in 2007 when Ducati also won its first Constructors’ World Title, and Casey Stoner became World Champion.

For the first time in Ducati’s MotoGP history, the front row of the grid at the Grand Prix of Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna was occupied by three Ducati bikes. Bagnaia took pole position in qualifying ahead of team-mate Jack Miller and fellow Ducati rider Luca Marini. The same thing happened in the last Grand Prix of the season where Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team) started from pole position, ahead of Bagnaia and Miller.

In every Grand Prix held in the 2021 season, at least one Ducati has started from the front row of the grid. Of the 54 front row positions available in the 18 Grands Prix contested, the Italian manufacturer has obtained 30. It means that Ducati bikes have occupied 55 per cent of the front rows this season.

The Ducati Lenovo Team riders have started from the front row of the grid, from the first two positions, on three occasions this year: at the San Marino GP, the Emilia Romagna GP and the Algarve GP.

In eight out of the 18 races held this season, at least 2 Ducati riders have finished on the podium.

In only 4 of the 18 races held this season, no Ducati rider has stepped on the podium. In 17 of the 18 races held this year, at least one Ducati has finished in the top four positions. Only at the Sachsenring, the best Ducati rider was Bagnaia, who finished fifth.

For the first time in Ducati’s MotoGP history, a Ducati rider from an independent team took victory; Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team), winner of the Styrian GP.

Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team) took his first pole position in the second Grand Prix of the 2021 season, in his debut year in MotoGP. At the same Grand Prix, the Spaniard also scored his first podium finish. Thanks to these successes, Jorge was awarded as 2021 Best MotoGP Rookie.

Martín’s team-mate Johann Zarco won the 2021 Best Independent Rider title.

The Ducati factory-supported team Pramac Racing won the 2021 MotoGP Best Independent Team title.

Ducati Lenovo Team riders Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller achieved their best-ever finish in the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.

With 252 points, Bagnaia ended the season as runner-up, 26 points behind title winner Fabio Quartararo. On the other hand, Miller finished the championship in fourth place with 181 points, 97 points behind the leader.

With four wins in total, at Aragón, Misano, Portimão and Valencia, Bagnaia became the fourth Ducati rider to score the most wins in MotoGP with the Desmosedici GP.

And next season there will be two more Ducati Desmosedici machines on the grid, with the number growing from the six of this year, to eight next year.

MotoGP Championship Standings

MotoGP Constructor Standings

MotoGP Team Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au