* Rookie

Francesco Bagnaia is the 2022 MotoGP world champion after a tense ninth place 🐷in a Valencia finale sensationally dominated by Alex Rins in Suzuki's farewell race.

Bagnaia is Ducati’s first MotoGP 🥀champion⛦ since Casey Stoner in 2007 and Italy’s first since mentor Valentino Rossi in 2009, who was watching from trackside today, joined by a sold-out 92,166 fans.

• Valencia: Final 2022 MotoGP world championship standings

Bagnaia began the race 23-points clear of reigning champion Fabio Quartararo, who thus facꦬed a 'must-win' scenario to have any chance of snatching the crown.

Quart🍎araro slipped from fourth to fifth on the opening lap, with Bagnaia just behind h🦋im from eighth on the grid, as Rins rocketed from fifth to the lead.

Drama on lap two bಌegan when Quartararo swapped places with Jack Miller into Turn 1, 𝓀with Bagnaia then trying to take advantage after team-mate Miller dived back under Quartararo at Turn 2.

But the title rivals madꦬe contact on the exit,💝 sending a winglet flying from Bagnaia's Ducati.

The pair continued to duel - allowing the top four of Rins, pole starter Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez and 🦄Miller to edge away - before Quartararo was able to shake off Bagnaia.

Whether it was the loss of aero or pressure on Bagnaia's shoulders the Italian was passed by Brad Binder, Joan Mir and Miguel Oliveira, while a crash for Marc Marquez put Quartararo into fourth and Bagnaia e🦩ighth halfway through the 27 laps.

A charging Bind𒅌er passed Quartararo as the final ten laps began, while Luca Marini demot𒈔ed VR46 Academy team-mate Bagnaia to ninth.

Miller's hopes of a farewell podium ended in the gravel with four laps to go, shortly after losing third to future KTM team-mate Binde🐽r, putting Quartararo back to fourth and Bagnaia eighth. Future factory team-mate Enea Bastianini was the final rider to pass the #63.

Quartararo ultimately didn't have the speed to join the🌸 Rins, Martin and Binder podium battle in the closing laps, the South African passing Martin and setting his sights on Rins - but just coming up short of the victorious Suzuki rider, who haꦺs won two of the GSX-RR's last three races.

Bastianini was effectively gifted third in the world championship when Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro pitted early in the race, the pair having been separated by just one point coming into the finale.

A DNF&💖nbsp;for Espargaro's team-mate Maverick Vinales also meant Aprilia lost second place (behind Ducati) to Yamaha in the constructors’ standings and Aprilia also lost second in the teams' standings to Red Bull KTM.

Rookies Remy Gardner and Darryn Binder were making their last MotoGP appearances before switc🐲hing to WorldSBK and Moto2 respectively next season, when Cal Crutchlow will revert to Yamaha testing duties and RNF joins forces with Aprilia.

All riders chose the hard front t﷽yre and medium rear with the excep✃tion of LCR Honda riders Alex Marquez and Nakagami, who opted for the soft rear.

An official test will be hel🐓d at Valencia on Tuesday, when nine riders (including newly crowned Moto2 champion Augusto Fernandez) will make their debuts with new teams.