The winner of the 2024 BMW M Award in MotoGP™ is Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia. The Italian triumphed in a thrilling head-to-head against Spain’s Jorge Martín, with the decision coming down to the season’s final qualifying session at Barcelona. This is Bagnaia’s third consecutive BMW M Award win. His prize this year is the new BMW M5. Bagnaia was presented the award by Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP™ rights-holder Dorna Sports, and Sylvia Neubauer, Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW M GmbH.
The BMW M Award is a long-standing part of BMW M’s commitment as the Official Car of MotoGP™. Bagnaia received his prize as the fastest qualifier of the season immediately after qualifying for the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona on Saturday. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya stepped in as the final venue after the Valencia region was struck by a devastating natural disaster.
Before the decisive final qualifying, Bagnaia trailed Martín by just two points in the BMW M Award standings. By securing pole position in the final session, he earned the points necessary to claim victory in this unique competition. Among his accomplishments this season, Bagnaia achieved pole position six times and collected a total of 369 BMW M Award points, ten more than Martín.
Sylvia Neubauer, Vice President Customer, Brand and Sales at BMW M GmbH, Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, winner Francesco Bagnaia.
“Congratulations to Pecco Bagnaia, who has won the BMW M Award for the third consecutive year,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta. “This competition for the honor of being the fastest qualifier of the year has been held for over 20 years now. We thank BMW M for this long-standing commitment that honors our riders’ qualifying performances with this prestigious award. It is always special for me to present this award with BMW M GmbH at the season finale, and this year even more so as the competition was decided in the very final session – and at a Grand Prix where the entire sport is coming together to support the community of Valencia.”
“We are delighted to present the BMW M Award to Pecco Bagnaia for the third time and warmly congratulate him on his strong performances this season,” said Sylvia Neubauer. “The BMW M Award dates back to 2003, and this season has been among the closest we’ve seen. The question of who would win the prize, in the form of our new high-performance sedan BMW M5, remained open until the very last second of the year’s final qualifying. Pecco Bagnaia proved himself a worthy winner in a fantastic duel. It was an extraordinary season for the BMW M Award, though our excitement for this outcome is overshadowed by the devastating disaster in Valencia. Our thoughts are with the many victims of this catastrophe and with the people of Valencia who have been so gravely affected.”
“It means a lot to me to have won the BMW M Award for the third consecutive year,” said Pecco Bagnaia. “This has been my goal since the end of last season, and I am proud to have achieved it. Many thanks to BMW M GmbH, which has awarded this prize to the top MotoGP qualifier for over 20 years. It’s an important acknowledgment of our achievements on the track. It wasn’t easy, as Jorge Martín and I had a close race for this award. I’m pleased to have come out on top.”
In the BMW M Award, points are awarded in each MotoGP™ qualifying round according to race scoring. Record holder for the BMW M Award is Marc Márquez, who won the title seven times in a row from 2013 to 2019. Bagnaia secured the coveted prize in 2022, 2023, and now 2024. He joins a prestigious list of past winners, including Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Fabio Quartararo, Sete Gibernau, and Nicky Hayden.
Read the full press release here.
