"Calm and serene" Francesco Bagnaia on verge of clinching MotoGP world title at Valencia in Spain

The Lenovo Ducati rider leads Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) by 23 points going into Sunday’s 20th and final round of the championship at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Bagnaia took a huge step towards the title with a hard-fought victory at the penultimate round at Sepang in Malaysia last month, when Quartararo finished on the rostrum in third.

Barring a disaster, Bagnaia will realise his dream of becoming champion at the finale at the Spanish track, where he emerged victorious in 2021.

“A really important weekend for us is about to begin, but I arrive in Valencia calm and serene,” said Bagnaia.

“The Circuit Ricardo Tormo is a track where we were fast last year and on paper, it suits the characteristics of our bike.

“We are in a more favourable situation than Malaysia, but we must stay focused until the end and think about working well from the first session to give our best in the race, as always.

“There will be a lot of Ducati fans here, as well as my family, my friends and my fan club, so I hope to give them all some great emotions on Sunday.”

Bagnaia was ninth fastest on the combined free practice times on Friday, one place behind nearest title rival Quartararo.

Luca Marina (VR46 Ducati) led the way by only 0.105s from Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati), with Bagnio’s team-mate Jack Miller third as Ducati riders locked out the top three.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez was fourth fastest ahead of the Gresini Racing Ducati of Enea Bastianini.

Reigning champion Quartararo accepts that retaining the title is outside of his control but the factory Yamaha rider has pledged to fight until the end.

“We had a good race in Malaysia,” he said.

“I really enjoyed it and it was nice to be back on the podium again.

“Winning the championship will be very difficult now. Of course, I will give my 100 per cent as always, but I’m not going to stress too much about the championship title.

“It’s the final GP of the season and I want to enjoy it and end it with a good result.”