Francesco Bagnaia arrives at the Valencia GP with a 21-point lead over Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) in the MotoGP title fight. So, the championship situation is better for the Ducati rider.

However, the Italian emphasized that the margin doesn’t allow him to be completely at ease in the final round of the year: ‘After the Qatar GP, we arrive in Valencia with a 21-point lead over Jorge. They definitely give us a bit more breathing space, but they are still not enough to relax completely’.

Confident in his potential, Bagnaia assured that he won’t change his strategy or goals: ‘Valencia is a track where we have been fast in the past and where we have the potential to do well. Our approach to the weekend will not change compared to the other races. The goal will always be the same: to work well from the first session on Friday and try to fight for the win in the race. I am calm and looking forward to getting on track for this season’s last act’.

O conteúdo ‘The 21-point lead give us a bit more breathing space, but…’ – Francesco Bagnaia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Ducati will have Marc Márquez on their roster for the MotoGP in 2024, lining up at the satellite team Gresini with this year’s bike. Despite seeming ideal to have such a strong rider as the six-time champion of the premier class, according to Jorge Lorenzo, not everyone wanted him aboard a Desmosedici GP.

Quoted by the website Motosan.es, the former rider spoke about some disagreement within Ducati’s leadership regarding Marc Márquez’s arrival: ‘Having Marc join is good news for Ducati because they get the best rider at no cost. But this is also a problem because not all Ducati leaders wanted Marc’.

Lorenzo explained two concerning factors: ‘Gigi [Dall’Igna, general manager] certainly wanted him because he always aims for the strongest riders. However, there are two worrying aspects: the first is losing Marc after only a year, as he would take with him all the knowledge he gained. The second is that he might beat [Jorge] Martín and [Francesco] Bagnaia. I think he will win many races next year. I’m not sure if he can fight for the title, but if I had to bet, I would bet on him’.

O conteúdo Ducati wasn’t unanimouis about Marc Márquez, reveals Jorge Lorenzo: ‘There are two worrying aspects’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jorge Martín faced significant challenges in the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix, being a shadow of the performance he displayed the previous day in the Losail Sprint race. Conversely, Francesco Bagnaia, his rival in the title fight, experienced the opposite, showing clear improvement from Saturday to Sunday. Tires could be the key factor behind these fluctuations.

Asked at a press conference how he feels about the title potentially being decided by tire details that prevent a direct battle on the track, the #1 replied: ‘Unluckly we have to deal with this kind of situation and it’s something that you can’t manage. You start, preparing perfectly all the weekend, and then you start the race and you start to feel differently. So it’s something we have to improve. We know perfectly that right now this kind of problems is increasing because the pace and the limit is more in the front. So we are going every time faster, faster and faster. Last year we were like ten, 15, 20 seconds slower in some circuits like in Malaysia. A little thing on the tyres can make a big, big step’.

Drawing from his own example, Bagnaia emphasized that when facing tire issues, it’s crucial to extract the maximum from the situation: ‘What I said on Saturday: the rear tyre was not perfect for me as the one in the morning and can make me lose two or three tenths each lap and it’s nothing considering the pace and the level. But it can make a big, big difference. So we have to deal with it and in this kind of situation you have to do the maximum’.

O conteúdo ‘A little thing on the tyres can make a big, big step’ – Francesco Bagnaia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

With one round to go, Francesco Bagnaia is in a privileged position to clinch the MotoGP title. He holds a 21-point lead over Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) in the championship standings, with 37 points still up for grabs.

The Italian rider from Ducati stated in a press conference that he is more prepared to face the situation he will encounter in Valencia, being only concerned about the weather conditions: ‘Honestly the best way to race and not be affected by the pressure is just thinking in doing the maximum, just focusing on doing the best race possible. Honestly last year I suffered a lot in Valencia, even if I was with a 23-point gap. So I think I will arrive in Valencia more or less in the same situation, but already prepared to what will happen. The thing is scaring or worrying me more at the moment is the weather, because at the end of November in Valencia you never know what will happen. But fingers crossed and let’s see’.

Although he acknowledges he can manage more than Martín, Bagnaia emphasized that he won’t be in «management mode» for the last round of the year: ‘For sure we are in the best position possible, we are in the front with 21 points [of advantage]. Jorge will have to push a lot and we can manage a bit, but start thinking to manage isn’t the best way to deal with the pressure, so it will be important to be focused and do the same strategy, the same routine as a normal weekend’.

O conteúdo Francesco Bagnaia reveals what is worrying him the most for Valencia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Francesco Bagnaia came very close to the MotoGP title with the second place at the Qatar GP. However, not everything left him satisfied in yesterday’s race in Losail, where he lost out to Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini/Ducati).

The Italian stated in a press conference that he was pleased with his overall performance, leading a significant portion of the race: ‘I’m happy, but I’m not 100% happy. I did what I was expecting from myself on the Sprint race. On Saturday I was expecting this pace but I didn’t have the possibility to do it. In the main race everything went perfect and I tried to push from the start, I tried to do my ideal race, and it was nice to be back and leading, pushing, doing my pace. It was a long time that I wasn’t doing it. So I’m very happy for that, I’m happy for the pace we showed’.

However, Bagnaia was dissatisfied with the mistake he made while trying to regain the lead from Di Giannantonio and went off track: ‘I’m not happy because I already did the same mistake in the past – in 2021 I did the same with Johann Zarco. So I’m not happy for that, because normally I learn from my mistakes. But in any case I wasn’t expecting this sucking from his slipstream. We have to be happy, Di Gia was fantastic all the weekend and in the race his pace was better than mine’.

O conteúdo ‘I’m not happy, I already did the same mistake in the past’ – Francesco Bagnaia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Francesco Bagnaia showed a strong pace during the practices and qualifying sessions for the MotoGP Qatar GP, but he hadn’t the performance he expected in the Sprint race in Losail. He finished fifth, unable to fight for the win.

In an interview with DAZN, the Italian expressed his surprise at the unexpected change in sensations on the bike during the Sprint race, although he acknowledged it as something that can occur:

– What bothers me is that we had another weekend where we worked really well, were very fast, going into the race with the pace to be at the front or win. And then, you have a totally different feeling from what usually happens. What I saw and what happened to me this Saturday is a bit strange, but it can happen, sometimes it can happen. And we just have to finish as far forward as possible.

O conteúdo ‘What happened to me on the Sprint race is strange’ – Francesco Bagnaia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Francesco Bagnaia arrived at the MotoGP Qatar GP with the possibility of securing the championship. However, after Jorge Martín’s (Prima Pramac/Ducati) victory in the Sprint race, it’s certain that the title will be decided in Valencia.

In addition to the Spanish rider’s win, Bagnaia (Ducati) finished fifth, leaving him with only a seven-point lead at the top. In the best-case scenario, the Italian will leave Losail with a 32-point lead over Martín… when there will be 37 points up for grabs in Valencia.

On the other hand, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) has mathematically secured third place. Despite not scoring in the Sprint race, he holds a 66-point gap over Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) with only 62 points left to be awarded.

O conteúdo Battle until the end: Francesco Bagnaia with no chance of being champion in Qatar aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Early in the first lap of the MotoGP Qatar GP Sprint race, two riders were forced to retire in an incident involving a total of four bikes. The situation is under review by the race stewards.

Available footage shows Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) being hit from behind and sent flying, with Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team/Aprilia) being the one making contact.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) were also in that area and caught up in the incident. Bastianini fell but managed to continue the race. Currently, the incident is being examined by the stewards, and it’s possible that penalties may result for one or more of those involved.

O conteúdo First-lap incident in the Qatar GP Sprint race under review by race stewards aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Two riders didn’t finish the first lap of the MotoGP Qatar GP: Aleix Espargaró and Miguel Oliveira, due to an incident in which Enea Bastianini was also involved.

It all happened at the turn six of the Losail circuit. Apparently, Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team/Aprilia) touched Espargaró’s Aprilia, causing the Spaniard to lose control of his bike and crash. Both riders had to retire.

Running closely, Bastianini (Ducati) couldn’t avoid being caught in the incident and also crashed. However, he managed to continue the race.

You can watch or rewatch the final part of the incident in the following video.

O conteúdo Video: Crash takes Aleix Espargaró and Miguel Oliveira out in the first lap of the Qatar GP aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Iker Lecuona risks being penalized due to an incident during the first qualifying of the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix. The rider unnecessarily rode slowly on the racing line.

As a result, the LCR Honda rider hampered Enea Bastianini’s fast lap. The Italian, who could have set a new record with that lap, did not hide his deep displeasure, gesturing with his arms to express his «fury» toward the rival.

The incident is currently under investigation by race officials, and Lecuona might face penalties. You can see the situation in the following video:

O conteúdo Video: Iker Lecuona slow on the racing line «enrages» Enea Bastianini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.