MotoGP: Francesco Bagnaia Wins a €160,000 BMW M5

The double MotoGP world champion, record holder for pole positions in 2024, won a BMW M5 rewarding his top speed.

Some prizes bring more joy than others. The BMW M Award in MotoGP is one of those, since the winner is not simply offered a statuette that will gather dust on a shelf in the living room, but a car from the catalog. And not just any: M5 with a catalog price in France approaching 160,000 euros. To this, you would have to add… 0 euros of ecological penalty because the German hybrid sedan with 727 horsepower officially emits only 38 g of CO2/km. Amazing!

The BMW M Award is an annual honor awarded by BMW M GmbH, in partnership with MotoGP™, to recognize the fastest rider in qualifying throughout the season. This prestigious prize has been awarded since 2003 and reflects BMW M’s role as the official car of the world championship.

Riders accumulate points at each qualifying session, according to the scoring system used for races (25 points for pole position, 20 points for second, etc.). At the end of the season, the rider with the most points is declared the winner.

Vice-world champion, but winner!

Before this final qualifying of the season, at the Grand Prix of Solidarity in Barcelona (Spain), Bagnaia was 2 points behind Jorge Martín. By securing pole position in the last session, he earned the points needed to win this unique competition. In the 2024 season, Bagnaia achieved 6 pole positions and accumulated a total of 369 points for the BMW M Award, 10 points more than Martín. But in the World Championship, it was the Spaniard who was crowned, while Bagnaia finished as vice-champion.

Bagnaia received his award from Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, holder of MotoGP™ rights, and Sylvia Neubauer, vice president of BMW M GmbH.

The record holder for the BMW M Award is Marc Márquez, with 7 consecutive wins (2013 to 2019). Among other famous winners are Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Fabio Quartararo, and more recently, Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, who has won it 3 consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024).

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