The factory Ducati rider has come close to victory in MotoGP before, but has been cruelly denied by misfortune and error.
However, during the Aragon weekend, Bagnaia proved faultless, displaying strong pace throughout practice before taking pole with a lap-record-smashing effort.
He led from the off and stayed in front for all 23 laps of the race, but had to absorb massive pressure from Honda’s Marc Marquez – the Spaniard enjoying a physically easier weekend on the anticlockwise Aragon track.
PLUS: How Ducati’s Aragon MotoGP win harks to its past and its future
Marquez made seven attempts across the final three laps to take the lead and victory away from Bagnaia, but the Ducati rider retaliated immediately each time and would ultimately prevail in an all-time classic MotoGP contest.
In the latest Tank Slappers Podcast, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss Bagnaia’s stunning breakthrough victory and what it means for the Ducati rider going forward.
They also look at the tough race Fabio Quartararo endured on his Yamaha and how this affects the championship picture heading into the final five races, which the pair discuss Maverick Vinales’ first outing on the Aprilia.