There is no denying that Jorge Martin's MotoGP triumph in 2024 was built on consistency. No other rider was able to finish on the podium week-in, week-out like the Pramac Ducati man.
But while Martin's ability to consistently deliver those top-three results ultimately won him the big prize, there were also some standout moments that shouldn't be overlooked when recapping his title-winning campaign.
The Spaniard built a substantial lead in the championship in the early part of the season and, while it ebbed and flowed as the year went on, he was almost always on the front foot.
In fact, Martin led the championship after 17 of the 20 rounds in 2024, despite his rival winning 11 of the 20 grands prix on the factory Ducati this year, and scoring seven additional wins in sprints. Martin knew when to strike, and he struck well.
Martin dominates in Portugal as Bagnaia tangles with Marquez
Bagnaia had drawn first blood in 2024 by defeating Martin in a straight duel to win the Qatar Grand Prix. It was important for Martin to respond to the defending champion next time out in Portugal - and so he did.
Grabbing the upper hand in qualifying, Martin first closed the points gap to the top with a run to third in the sprint, as Bagnaia ended up fourth after making a costly error while in the lead.
Then, in the main grand prix, Martin brought his A-game to Portimao as he led all 25 laps after seizing the lead at the start. No one could put any challenge to the Spaniard, who ultimately won by just under a second.
Bagnaia was unlucky to be caught up in a collision with Gresini's Marc Marquez and suffer his first retirement of 2024. But the fact remains that he was circulating in fifth place - and was on the verge of dropping to sixth - while Martin was leading out front.
Crucially, the Portimao weekend gave Martin a healthy 18-point lead in the championship, setting the tone for the rest of the season.
Defeating Bagnaia at Le Mans provides a breakthrough moment
Martin's next grand prix victory was of even greater significance. At Le Mans, the Spaniard was the fastest rider in every session that counted: pole position in qualifying, dominant in the sprint and the triumphant winner in the main race, where he came on top in a straight fight with Bagnaia.
It was Bagnaia who nailed the start from second on the grid to grab the holeshot into Turn 1, but Martin simply bided his time behind him until making the decisive pass with six laps to go. He held off Bagnaia over the next few laps, until the Italian was demoted to third by Marquez.
While the sight of Bagnaia leading Martin over the finish line would become a common occurrence in the latter part of the season, this victory demonstrated that Martin can outduel the two-champion when he is at his prime - even in a Sunday race.
Bouncing back into the points lead after his critical German GP fall
Much was made of Martin's crash from the lead of the German Grand Prix. Much like Le Mans, Martin had been the standout rider at the Sachsenring and was on course to complete a clean sweep of victories that weekend until he dropped his Ducati on the penultimate lap of the main race. Critics cited the error - the second such mistake of the year after Jerez - as a sign that he hadn't learned from his title defeat to Bagnaia in 2023.
Having lost the championship in Germany, crucially just before the summer break, it was argued that the DNF was going to be a major psychological blow for Martin.
But when the season resumed at Silverstone after a month-long break, the 26-year-old displayed both maturity and determination to wrestle back the points lead that he was convinced belonged to him. A new component on his Ducati, which he hadn't used before despite being standard on other GP24s, was also introduced to help cut down on crashes.
In the sprint, Martin immediately grabbed the lead from Bagnaia, who went on to retire with a lap four crash. Then, in the main race, it was again Martin who finished ahead of the two, even though the race was won by Bastianini on the other factory GP24.
For all the talk of Martin having given away crucial points to Bagnaia in the title race, he was back at the top of the championship in just one weekend's time.
Martin banks points at Aragon as Bagnaia clashes with the other Marquez
The Aragon GP is mostly remembered for Marquez's comeback victory in MotoGP on a Ducati. But that race in Spain also played a crucial role in tilting the championship in Martin's favour.
Martin was no match to Marquez in low-grip conditions all weekend, but he settled for second when victory was out of reach. That meant he came away with a healthy tally of 29 points from a weekend maximum of 37. His rival, meanwhile, scored just one solitary point.
Bagnaia hinted at a faulty tyre for his dismal slump to ninth in the sprint, while a collision with Alex Marquez took him out of the main race. He had just grabbed third place after a poor start had left him in the lower reaches of the top 10.
Bagnaia had previously retaken the lead in the championship with victory in Austria, but Aragon put Martin back ahead on the leaderboard. He was never headed in the standings again.
Martin repairs damage of rain gamble in second Misano round
Martin had made a blunder in the first Misano race by pitting for the wet bike when the first drops of rain began to fall on track. A full shower never materialised and he was forced to return to the pits and swap back to his primary dry-weather bike, leaving him a season-worst 15th. His comfortable 23-point lead had come down to just seven points.
But his response in the second Misano event was very similar to one that followed his crash out of the lead at Sachsenring.
Both Martin and Bagnaia's team-mate Bastianini were able to pull away from the chasing pack immediately, engaging in their own duel at the front. Martin did lose out on victory after Bastianini forced him off the track on the final lap, but second place was still crucial for his championship hopes.
That was because Bagnaia crashed yet another time while running behind Martin on track, handing the latter an extended 24-point lead in the championship.
Redemption in Indonesia allows Martin to take a firm hold in title fight
Martin's victory in the Indonesian GP was significant in more ways than one. Exactly 12 months prior, he had crashed out of the lead during a crucial stage of the 2023 title run-in, just when the momentum was building in his favour. So winning in Mandalika was nothing short of redemption.
Secondly, Martin had gone winless since the French GP in May, having given away an easy win in Sachsenring and lost first place to Bastianini in Misano II.
It took another error, in the sprint race where Martin lowsided out of the lead on the opening lap, but when he finally stood on the top step in a grand prix again, he did so in style. Leading out front from pole, the Spaniard resisted pressure from KTM rookie Pedro Acosta in the middle portion of the race, before extending his lead to win by 1.4s.
Bagnaia lacked the pace to challenge the podium runners all throughout the race and was lucky to finish third, 5.5s off the lead, after his team-mate Bastianini fell just four laps from the finish.
Bagnaia crashes (again) in Malaysian to give Martin match point
Championships are often decided in the penultimate round of a season and it would be fair to say that the events of Sepang played into Martin's hands.
While it was Bagnaia who claimed pole position, Martin immediately seized the lead in the sprint to put pressure on his title rival. With a points deficit to overcome, and Marquez closing in the distance, Bagnaia dropped his bike at Turn 7 and crashed out of the race.
Martin went on to take his seventh sprint win of the year and extend his lead to 29 points. From there, it was always going to be a difficult task for Bagnaia to displace him from the top.
Martin overcomes nerves to seal title at rescheduled finale
While Martin did show signs of nervousness in Barcelona as he inched closer to the title, he didn't put a foot wrong all weekend. Such was his lead in the championship that he could finish as low as ninth in the race, but his strategy was clear and sensible - he'd aim for the podium, but not chase Bagnaia for the win.
In terms of pace, it was certainly an off weekend for the Spaniard. In practice, he was the fourth-fastest rider at best and that's where he finished in qualifying, missing out on the front row for the first time since his crash in Motegi. But it still put him in a strong position for the rest of the round.
Third place in the sprint, after a last-lap pass by Bastianini, and third in the grand prix, were not by any means his best results of 2024. But it was more than enough for him to lift the title and depart the Ducati fold as a MotoGP world champion.
