2021 Emilia Romagna MotoGP, Misano - Full Race Results

Fabio Quartararo has been crowned the 2021 MotoGP world champion after rival Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the Misano lead with just four laps to go.

Bagnaia was on course to keep the title fight alive until the penultimate Portimao round as he held off the race-long challenge of Marc Marquez, but lost the front of the Desmosedici into Turn 15.

That was the same corner that caught Jack Miller out earlier in the race, the Ducati team-mates being the only riders to have chosen the hard front tyre...

Meanwhile, world championship leader Quartararo charged from 15th to fourth - only losing third to Enea Bastianini with a few corners to go - after fighting his way up from 15th on the grid.

The Frenchman's first ever world title is also the first MotoGP world championship for Yamaha since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.

Bagnaia, Miller and Marc Marquez broke away to form an early lead group, Miller acting as an effective buffer between team-mate Bagnaia and the charging Marquez until the Australian crashed out of second place.

That left Bagnaia under pressure from Marquez, in a repeat of their Aragon contest, while the other Repsol Honda of Pol Espargaro moved into the final podium place.

Bagnaia had prevailed over Marquez at Aragon, despite the circuit being one of Marquez's favoured anti-clockwise circuits. This time Marquez was chasing his first 'clockwise' podium, let alone victory, since last year's right arm injuries.

The pair remained inseparable until five laps to go when Bagnaia's pace looked like it began to wear down Marquez. But then came the Turn 15 mistake, perhaps due to a drop in temperature, which handed Quartararo the title and Repsol Honda a shock one-two!

Quartararo came into the race holding a 52-point lead over Bagnaia, and needed to ffectively beat the Ducati rider to be champion today, a formidable task after the Frenchman suffered a career-worst 15th in the damp qualifying session while Bagnaia took pole position.

While Bagnaia then got the holeshot, Quartararo dropped as low as 17th on the opening lap before starting a charge that would take him all the way to third place, before the late pass by Enea Bastianini, who completed the podium for the second time in as many Misano rounds.

The race was the first fully-dry session of the weekend, meaning more question marks than usual over bike set-up. Quartararo and Bagnaia both chose the medium rear tyre, but Bagnaia the hard front and Quartararo (like most riders) the medium.

Starting from his first MotoGP front row, on a special bright yellow 'Grazie Vale!' VR46 livery in tribute to brother Valentino Rossi's final home appearance, rookie Luca Marini rode to ninth. Lining up in last place, Rossi himself climbed to 10th before an emotional slowdown lap in front of the yellow-packed grandstands, filled with a Covid-capped 35,000 fans.

KTM's Brad Binder crashed on the way to the grid and had to start from pit lane, then later got a long lap penalty for track limits, while team-mate Miguel Oliveira slotted into an early second behind Bagnaia and looked on course for a podium until a late exit.

Joan Mir was given a jump start penalty but before he could serve it the Suzuki rider took himself and Danilo Petrucci out of the race, the Tech3 rider embracing the apologetic Mir despite being wiped out of his final home Italian appearance.

Iker Lecuona, Alex Marquez, Jorge Martin, Miguel Oliveira and then Bagnaia joined them on the DNF list.

Aprilia wild-card Lorenzo Savadori was ruled of the remainder of the event, and a planned Portimao wild-card, after fracturing his collarbone in FP3.

* Rookie