Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo , Japanese MotoGP. 22 September
Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo , Japanese MotoGP. 22 September

Valencia MotoGP - Bagnaia and Quartararo face-to-face as it happened

Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia met the media ahead of their MotoGP title showdown on Sunday in Valencia.

After overturning a 91point deficit to Quartararo, Bagnaia now leads the MotoGP standings by 23 points. 

A very comfortable lead with just one race to go, Bagnaia can afford to finish anywhere inside the top 14 if Quartararo wins the race, something the Yamaha rider must achieve just to have a chance of winning the title.

Quartararo will either win his second title in succession or Bagnaia will become the fourth different premier class champion in four years after Joan Mir won in 2020 and Marc Marquez in 2019. 

03 Nov 2022
16:29
Fabio on Pecco's best attribute

"His speed. It looks super easy to him in qualifying and in races.

"On TV it looks like he's slow but he is super fast!

"The quality of being fast in every situation is what I'd like to have."

16:28
Pecco on Fabio's best attribute

"Fabio is one of the greatest brakers. And he has mental strength - in these moments he is incredible.

"It is clear that Ducati is faster. It's true that I made mistakes.

"He's fighing for a championship even on a bike that is behind Ducati's.

"It was easy to lose faith but he's still here fighting."

16:25
When Quartararo knew Bagnaia was coming

"Early in the season Aleix was closer. You could see clearly that Pecco was going fast and I knew he was the one who would fight for the championship."

16:21
Fabio on the upcoming test

"I look forward to Tuesday for good news! But the priority is Friday, Saturday, Sunday."

16:16
Bagnaia refuses to touch the trophy

"It's something you must have respect for."

16:16
Fabio Quartararo

"I spent time with my friends. A lot with Jake Dixon.

"It is true that I want to push so hard, that it makes me make mistakes. I'm not in the position that I want."

 

16:14
Fabio to Pecco

"He is a top rider. It is great to arrive here for the last one. Let's have the last big battle of 2022 the enjoy it on Sunday night!"

16:13
Pecco to Fabio

"Let's enjoy the last race, have a fair battle, you are one of the greatest!"

16:12
Quartararo on his up and down 2022

"Starting this season we had bad news about the bike. The start wasn't good. I was complaining a lot. I was not totally focused.

"Then I had a great first half to the season.

"In the second half other riders made a big step forwards but we stayed the same. We made some mistakes.

"You learn when you have a tough season.

"I will take experience from this season which will be good in the future."

16:11
Quartararo on his broken finger

"It's not so painful. It won;t be an issue.

"I'll have surgery in the winter to have a normal finger!"

16:10
Fabio Quartararo

"I have only one goal, it is clear. I have nothing to lose. I am fighting for the win.

"It is not the best situation. I'm all-in.

"I am pretty confident."

Fabio Quartararo , MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October
Fabio Quartararo , MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October

16:09
Francesco Bagnaia on Valentino Rossi

"It can be a great help to have Vale with us - for me, and the other riders.

"He knows this situation. He knows how I feel. He will help."

Valentino Rossi, Misano WorldSBK race1, 11 June
Valentino Rossi, Misano WorldSBK race1, 11 June

16:08
Francesco Bagnaia

"Enea put a lot of pressure on in Malaysia but, in the last laps, we were so competitive. It was crucial to arrive in this race."

16:07
Francesco Bagnaia

"No [I am not relaxed]. We have to keep pushing. It will be important to be intelligent, smart.

"We are in a better place compared to Fabio but must finish the job.

"This track is good for us. The bike is so competitive. We improved compared to last year. But we know that MotoGP is a world of surprises.

"In the first part of the season I was competitive, even when I crashed. I analysed why I was crashing. In Japan I was too ambitious. I was lucky that I didn't touch Fabio when I crashed. And he didn't gained too many points when I crashed - this was lucky."

Francesco Bagnaia, MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October
Francesco Bagnaia, MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October

16:03
We are starting now

Bagnaia and Quartararo press conference quotes coming shortly.

15:56
Less than 5 mins...

Pecco and Fabio to come together ahead of title battle for a press conference.

15:49
The battle for glory

Remote video URL

Watch, comment, subscribe!

15:27
The next MotoGP champion?

Francesco Bagnaia is 23 points ahead of Fabio Quartararo in the current MotoGP standings with one race left.

He has overturned a 91-point deficit and crashed five times this season.

Francesco Bagnaia , MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October
Francesco Bagnaia , MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October

15:26
Memories of Valentino Rossi in 2006 are fresh

Lin Jarvis: ‘The unthinkable happened to Valentino, we’re still in the fight’

Valentino Rossi (ITA) Subaru Impreza WRC World Rally of New Zealand, 17th-19th November
Valentino Rossi (ITA) Subaru Impreza WRC World Rally of New Zealand, 17th…

15:24
Marquez knows how to win a Valencia finale!

Marquez reveals secret to season-finale glory: “If you are too conservative..."

Marc Marquez , MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October
Marc Marquez , MotoGP race, Malaysian MotoGP, 23 October

15:23
Don't forget the MotoGP Test next Tuesday

MotoGP Valencia Test full schedule: Which riders will debut on new bikes?

Joan Mir, MotoGP race, Australian MotoGP, 16 October
Joan Mir, MotoGP race, Australian MotoGP, 16 October

15:22
What next for Danilo Petrucci? Dakar, WorldSBK or a surprise?
15:21
What time is MotoGP season finale?
15:19
Toprak to MotoGP one day?

Jarvis says Yamaha should have offered Razgatlioglu factory seat in MotoGP

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Argentinian WorldSBK race2, 23 October
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Argentinian WorldSBK race2, 23 October

Subscribe to our MotoGP Newsletter

Get the latest MotoGP news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox