Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2024

The 2024 MotoGP season noticed an exhilarating title battle between eventual victor Jorge Martin and defending champion Francesco Bagnaia go right down to the wire.

Though the season was dominated by Ducati – Maverick Vinales taking the only real grand prix win for a rival producer on his Aprilia – there was no shortfall of motion. 

Forward of a winter of great change, who have been the standout performers of 2024?

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Bezzecchi scored VR46’s solely podium of a tough yr, however was outscored by his team-mate

Photograph by: Dorna

This yr was a sobering return to Earth for Marco Bezzecchi after the Italian had received three grands prix and completed third within the championship in 2023. In actual fact, his return from this season had extra in frequent with that from 2022, his first yr within the class.

In his defence, year-old Ducatis simply didn’t have the firepower they’d had up to now – until your title was Marc Marquez. He saved making an attempt all yr, nonetheless, and delivered VR46 its solely podium of the season on the Spanish Grand Prix.

Bezzecchi made just a few extra headlines than his team-mate in qualifying too, managing three front-row begins to Fabio Di Giannantonio’s none. Although he may dangle onto his tempo fairly nicely in races when he completed them, failures to get to the flag price him. There have been zero-score weekends in France, the Netherlands and Australia – plus one other three the place he got here near a factors duck.

Bezzecchi edges the likes of Aleix Espargaro and Alex Marquez right here totally on the idea that he’s nonetheless a relative newcomer to MotoGP, whereas Johann Zarco will get an honourable point out for his main function amongst the Hondas.

9. Fabio Di Giannantonio

Sturdy runs to fourth in Thailand and Australia, his closing appearances of an injury-hit marketing campaign, allowed Di Giannantonio to usurp Bezzecchi for the honour of prime VR46 rider

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There was usually little to decide on between the VR46 riders, however Fabio Di Giannantonio was capable of maintain his nostril forward of team-mate Bezzecchi for a lot of the season so far as points-scoring was involved. His pre-summer spotlight was a fourth at Assen, and his early consistency was ok to earn him a deal – introduced in July – to trip a manufacturing facility GP25 subsequent season.

Retaining the lead within the intra-VR46 duel regarded a troublesome ask when he fell in apply in Austria, lacking that weekend’s races, much more so when he needed to skip the final two races of the season to have a number of the after-effects seen to by surgeons.

However, as in 2023, when he received his solely race so far on the penultimate spherical in Qatar, Di Giannantonio got here on sturdy late within the season. He constructed up a buffer over Bezzecchi with fourth locations in his closing two outings – Australia and Thailand. That was sufficient for him to nonetheless end better of the yellow GP23s.

8. Maverick Vinales

Vinales was the one non-Ducati rider to win a Grand Prix in 2024, triumphing for Aprilia in Texas

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Maverick Vinales made as many headlines for plummeting in races and dramas together with his Australia crash with Di Giannantonio as he did for his seven entrance rows, two dash wins and excellent Americas GP victory. However regardless of the various frustrations he delivered his followers, he was finally the one non-Ducati rider to win a grand prix.

Greater than that, his weekend in the US was memorably dominant, encompassing pole, quickest laps and dash success. He even raced by the sector in atypical fashion after a poor begin to the grand prix.

Along with his different dash win having come a spherical earlier in Portugal, the Texas outing put Vinales third within the riders’ championship. His outcomes tailed off from there and no problem materialised, but it surely’s price noting that he was the one rider other than Martin and Bagnaia to make it by to Q2 at each spherical.

Races in Catalonia apart, he additionally usually had the beating of Aprilia’s hitherto de facto workforce chief Aleix Espargaro. One may argue, nonetheless, that this ought to be anticipated from a rider of Vinales’s pedigree and expertise.

Binder’s yr peaked early with second in Qatar, as he solely narrowly edged Acosta to be the highest KTM rider within the standings

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KTM delivered lower than it had in previous seasons, and Brad Binder’s leads to 2024 matched that.

On the one hand, the South African conclusively beat manufacturing facility team-mate Jack Miller, usually outqualifying him and scoring nicely over double the factors of the Aussie. On the opposite, the skilled grand prix winner wanted till the final race to spare himself the blushes of dropping fifth within the championship – and victory within the unofficial non-Ducati class – to rookie satellite tv for pc rider Pedro Acosta. All advised, that has to go down as a middling return.

Second place within the Qatar opener promised a lot, however he wouldn’t see the rostrum once more as his season drifted from there. Nonetheless, he was fairly environment friendly on what was a tough machine, making Q2 14 occasions, qualifying on the second row seven occasions and customarily going ahead in races. In distinction to Acosta, he additionally saved the vast majority of his crashes for the sprints!

Bastianini was edged out of a seat on a manufacturing facility Ducati, however was not with out his vibrant spots – victory at Silverstone was a specific spotlight

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This was Enea Bastianini’s first correct season on the manufacturing facility Ducati following his injury-hit 2023. But it surely delivered a disappointing return for the person who had earned the trip within the first place by profitable 4 occasions on the satellite tv for pc Gresini machine in 2022.

The Italian had effective moments in Britain and Emilia Romagna, in addition to the Thailand dash, however in between these he was usually nameless in Francesco Bagnaia’s shadow.

Bastianini ended up in a battle with Marc Marquez for third within the championship and finally misplaced to the person on the year-old bike. His transfer on Jorge Martin to win at Misano additionally left one thing of a nasty style.

Not quick sufficient usually sufficient in qualifying, Bastianini countered this with good progress in races and a powerful ending report, failing to see the chequered flag solely thrice throughout all sprints and grands prix. Solely Martin and Fabio Quartararo matched him in that regard.

5. Pedro Acosta

Acosta had a vibrant first yr in MotoGP which cemented his rising star credentials

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Not at all a completed product, however taking into consideration his rookie standing and KTM equipment, Pedro Acosta was merely excellent in 2024. The 19-year-old confirmed no concern for established names, racing wheel-to-wheel with senior statesman Marc Marquez on the very first spherical in Qatar, operating as excessive as fourth within the opener.

He cooked his tyres and dropped out of competition in that race – the primary of many occasions he would study the finer arts of MotoGP the onerous means in 2024. In actual fact, he topped the crash listing for all classes with 28. However his pace between slip-ups earned him leeway to take action.

In any case, this was at all times meant to be a studying yr on the Tech3 satellite tv for pc bike. Acosta nonetheless already had two podiums to his title by the Spanish GP in April – sufficient to seal a 2025 manufacturing facility KTM contract shortly thereafter. He delivered one other three following a mid-season lull, in addition to a Motegi pole that resulted in two disappointing crashes.

Acosta practically completed as prime KTM rider however the manufacturing facility’s Brad Binder snuck previous him on the final race of the season.

4. Fabio Quartararo

Quartararo’s class was hidden considerably by his Yamaha’s limitations, however he comfortably outperformed these dealing with comparable circumstances

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He was nowhere total, putting thirteenth within the closing standings, however the Frenchman scored greater than double the factors of the following rider within the unofficial ‘struggling Japanese producer’ class, Honda’s Johann Zarco. And Fabio Quartararo took nearly 4 occasions as many factors as his team-mate Alex Rins, who isn’t any slouch and winner of a number of grands prix.

Yamaha’s grip deficiencies and frustrations like operating out of gas greater than as soon as bugged Quartararo – and he was by no means shy to talk out about it. However as soon as he hit the observe, he gave nothing however his finest and confirmed the category that made him a world champion in 2021.

Common prime 10 outcomes from Misano onwards mirrored continuous effort. This stretch delivered the spotlight of the season, a sixth place within the penultimate grand prix in Malaysia. That he bought up after being skittled within the first-corner crash to ship this outcome on his spare bike was additionally a credit score to his dedication.

3. Francesco Bagnaia

Wins have been in plentiful provide for Bagnaia, however he missed out on the title by inconsistency

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A tally of 11 grand prix wins in a season – seven greater than eventual champion Martin – places Francesco Bagnaia within the MotoGP pantheon: solely Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Mick Doohan have received that many or extra races in a season.

All of them received the world championship in these respective years – however keep in mind that Bagnaia’s tally was solely simply north of half the races in MotoGP’s ultra-long fashionable schedule. On prime of these 20 Sundays got here the Saturday sprints, during which he equalled Martin’s profitable report with seven races however scored solely three additional podiums.

The 16 dash podiums Jorge Martin took illustrated Bagnaia’s key 2024 failing: an incapability to take seconds and thirds when not profitable. That mentioned, he was unbeatable as soon as he had the bike to his liking. And whereas Martin’s few errors have been all his personal, Bagnaia’s defenders will level to his technical failure within the Le Mans dash plus three incidents with different riders, on which there are inevitably a wide range of opinions.

2. Marc Marquez

Marquez returned to profitable methods after ditching his Honda for a year-old Gresini Ducati, a big gamble that was swiftly validated

Photograph by: Dorna

Marc Marquez lastly bought his fingers on a aggressive bike after years of battling together with his Honda’s declining powers. The overdue swap to a Ducati proved that the eight-time world champion’s genius was very a lot nonetheless there – he received three grands prix regardless of being on a year-old GP23 fielded by Gresini.

One other revealing statistic was that of the 22 podiums scored by GP23 riders, 20 of these belonged to Marquez. He not solely confirmed up manufacturing facility GP24 rider Enea Bastianini by beating him to 3rd within the closing factors reckoning, however in all probability would have been additional forward had he prevented just a few poor begins and qualifying disasters: he missed out on Q2 4 occasions throughout the season.

However this was a yr to rediscover his mojo and discover the Ducati’s limits – which he did with 24 crashes throughout all classes – relatively than go for factors. Marquez’s damage woes now appear to be behind him as he will get set for the transfer to the manufacturing facility workforce.

1. Jorge Martin

Regardless of being ignored for promotion to the works Ducati workforce, Martin steeled himself to say the crown with Pramac

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Jorge Martin aboard the GP24 was the quickest package deal out of the field most weekends in 2024. That, mixed with a ending report pretty much as good as anyone’s, defined why he led the factors all season other than three transient cameos by Bagnaia.

Grand prix errors whereas main at Jerez and Sachsenring have been pre-summer hints that making an attempt to handle races was not his factor – however he responded to these nicely. After the break, his solely tumble got here within the Mandalika dash (he remounted however failed to attain), although there was additionally a incorrect resolution to pit for a ‘moist bike’ in drizzle on the San Marino GP.

Going full throttle even because the finale approached made it unimaginable for Bagnaia to catch him, regardless of profitable the final three grands prix. Martin admitted to having had psychological well being points early within the season, however the psychological energy he developed in response proved decisive. His regular trip to 3rd in a tense Barcelona finale confirmed how far he had come on that entrance.

A constant season that hit the proper notes on the essential moments proved the distinction for Martin

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