Ducati’s 2021 MotoGP season in review
The 2021 MotoGP season will be a memorable one for Ducati as the Italian marque enjoyed their most successful season ever in terms of podiums on their way to winning the Constructors’ Championship.
Jack Miller
With seven wins in MotoGP in 2021, Ducati is the manufacturer to have achieved the most success this year. Eleven is the Italian manufacturer’s record number of wins in a single season, dating back to 2007.
Ducati 1-2-3 on the grid at Misano II
2021 was the best year ever for Ducati in terms of MotoGP podiums. Ducati achieved 24 podiums with five different riders: Pecco Bagnaia, Jack Miller, Jorge Martín, Johann Zarco and Enea Bastianini. It’s a record for Ducati, who have 2019 as their second-best year with 17 podiums.
Pecco Bagnaya
For the first time since its MotoGP debut in 2003, Ducati has placed three of its bikes on the podium in a single Grand Prix. This happened in the final round of the 2021 season; Pecco Bagnaia won the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana ahead of Jorge Martín and Jack Miller.
Jack Miller
Ducati won the constructors’ title for the second consecutive year and the third in its MotoGP history. Five drivers contributed to the title win with a total of 357 points: Pecco Bagnaia (167 points), Jack Miller (63 points), Johann Zarco (86 points), Jorge Martín (25 points) and Enea Bastianini (16 points).
Johann Zarco
The Ducati Lenovo Team won the MotoGP Teams World Championship with 433 points. It is the second world title won by the Ducati factory team. The first came in 2007 when Ducati also won its first World Constructors’ title and Casey Stoner became World Champion.
Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia
For the first time in Ducati MotoGP history, the front row of the grid at the Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was occupied by three Ducati bikes. Bagnaia took pole position in qualifying ahead of his teammate Jack Miller and fellow Ducati rider Luca Marini. The same happened in the final Grand Prix of the season, where Jorge Martín (Pramac Racing Team) started from pole ahead of Bagnaia and Miller.
MotoGP podium at Valencia 2021
1 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – 41’15.481
2 Jorge Martin* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.489
3 Jack Miller – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.823
At least one Ducati has started from the front row at every Grand Prix held in the 2021 season. Of the 54 available front row seats at the 18 Grands Prix held, the Italian manufacturer has secured 30. That means Ducati bikes have occupied 55 percent of the front rows this season.
The Ducati Lenovo Team riders have started three times this year from the front row, from the top two places: at the San Marino GP, the Emilia Romagna GP and the Algarve GP.
2021 Valencia MotoGP front row
1 Jorge Martin – Pramac Racing – Ducati – 1:29.936
2 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.064
3 Jack Miller – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.389
At least two Ducati riders have finished on the podium in eight of the 18 races this season.
In just 4 of the 18 races this season, no Ducati rider has finished on the podium. At least one Ducati has finished in the top four in 17 of the 18 races held this year. Only at Sachsenring was the best Ducati rider 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.
Styrian Red Bull Ring MotoGP podium 2021
1 Jorge Martin – Pramac Racing – Ducati – 38:07.879
2 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +1,548
3 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +9.362
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 achievements, Jorge was awarded Best MotoGP Rookie 2021.
Martín’s teammate Johann Zarco won the title of Best Independent Driver 2021.
Johann Zarco
Ducati factory-backed team Pramac Racing won the 2021 MotoGP Independent Team title.
Ducati Lenovo team riders Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller achieved their best result so far in the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.
Jack Miller – image by 2snap
With 252 points, Bagnaia finished the season second, 26 points behind title winner Fabio Quartararo. On the other hand, Miller finished fourth in the championship with 181 points, 97 points off the leader.
With a total of four wins at Aragón, Misano, Portimão and Valencia, Bagnaia became the fourth Ducati rider to have the most wins in MotoGP with the Desmosedici GP.
A look at Ducati’s performances in 2021 in MotoGP
And next season there will be two more Ducati Desmosedici machines, increasing the number to 2 from this year’s six eight next year.
MotoGP Championship Stand
| position | driver | bicycle | nation | Points |
| 1 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Jamaica | FROM | 278 |
| 2 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Ducati | IT | 252 |
| 3 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | SPA | 208 |
| 4 | Jack Miller | Ducati | OUT | 181 |
| 5 | Johann ZARCO | Ducati | FROM | 173 |
| 6 | Brad Binder | KTM | RSA | 151 |
| 7 | Markus Marquez | Honda | SPA | 142 |
| 8th | Alex Espargaro | Aprilia | SPA | 120 |
| 9 | Jorg Martin | Ducati | SPA | 111 |
| 10 | Outsider VIÑALES | Aprilia | SPA | 106 |
| 11 | Enea BASTIANINI | Ducati | IT | 102 |
| 12 | Pol Espargaro | Honda | SPA | 100 |
| 13 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | SPA | 99 |
| 14 | MIGUEL OLIVEIRA | KTM | PER | 94 |
| fifteen | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | JPN | 76 |
| 16 | Alex MARQUEZ | Honda | SPA | 70 |
| 17 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Jamaica | IT | 47 |
| 18 | Valentino Rossi | Jamaica | IT | 44 |
| 19 | Luca MARINI | Ducati | IT | 41 |
| 20 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | SPA | 39 |
| 21 | Danilo Petrucci | KTM | IT | 37 |
| 22 | Stefan BRADL | Honda | ENG | 14 |
| 23 | Michele PIRRO | Ducati | IT | 12 |
| 24 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Jamaica | IT | 12 |
| 25 | Dani Pedrosa | KTM | SPA | 6 |
| 26 | Lorenzo SAVADORI | Aprilia | IT | 4 |
| 27 | Tito Rabat | Ducati | SPA | 1 |
MotoGP Constructors Championship
| position | constructor | Points |
| 1 | DUCATI | 357 |
| 2 | YAMAHA | 309 |
| 3 | SUZUKI | 240 |
| 4 | HONDA | 214 |
| 5 | KTM | 205 |
| 6 | Aprilia | 121 |
MotoGP team classification
| position | team | Points |
| 1 | DUCATI LENOVO TEAM | 433 |
| 2 | MONSTER POWER YAMAHA MOTOGP | 380 |
| 3 | TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR | 307 |
| 4 | PRAMAC RACE | 288 |
| 5 | REPSOL HONDA TEAM | 250 |
| 6 | RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING | 245 |
| 7 | LCR HONDA | 146 |
| 8th | ESPONSORAMA RACE | 143 |
| 9 | APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI | 135 |