Bagnaia’s mistake or Martin’s success?
Last Saturday, after crashing out on the third lap of the sprint race at Sepang while fighting his rival for the win and the championship crown, Francesco Bagnaia was both hurt and bewildered. The reigning world champion was unable to find a rational explanation for the five zeroes he has accumulated so far in the […]
Why would we need to be enemies off the track?
Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin feel there is no reason why they should be “enemies outside the track” as they fight for the 2024 MotoGP title. For a second season in a row, Bagnaia and Martin have been in a class of their own in MotoGP, with their championship battle set to culminate in next […]
Should MotoGP reconsider its emphasis on sprint races?
«When you win 10 grands prix and you are still 24 points behind, something is wrong.» Complaints about a format by a competitor who has failed to master that format must always be read with due caution. They are to be expected. But Francesco Bagnaia may just have a point when it comes to the […]
Bagnaia says “anything can happen at Barcelona” despite slim title hopes
Francesco Bagnaia believes the switch of venue from Valencia to Barcelona offers him an extra glimmer of hope in his unlikely bid to overhaul Jorge Martin in the points race at the last round. Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia closed the gap to Martin to 24 points with a win in Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, keeping […]
Ducati ‘bothered’ Bagnaia is trailing Martin despite having most wins
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi admits that it “bothers” him that Francesco Bagnaia is only second in the MotoGP standings despite having won half the races so far. Factory rider Bagnaia clinched his ninth grand prix victory from 18 rounds in last weekend’s Thailand GP, having successfully fended off an attack from Gresini rival Marc Marquez […]
Bagnaia admits Thailand GP was a «must-win» as he cuts gap to Martin
Francesco Bagnaia admitted to some relief as he bounced back to secure victory in a “must-win” Thailand Grand Prix after being defeated by Jorge Martin in the sprint encounter. The Italian achieved his first win in wet weather conditions, bringing his 2024 tally up to nine successes over full-length races. Coming after he finished third […]
Wins won’t be enough to defend MotoGP title now against Martin
Francesco Bagnaia aired his frustration at suffering a slight but important loss to MotoGP title rival Jorge Martin with his run to third place in the Thailand Grand Prix sprint race. Though the race itself went the way of Enea Bastianini, Bagnaia’s failure to defend against Martin for second place sees his rival ease his […]
Bagnaia favours Bulega over Iannone for MotoGP debut with VR46
Defending MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia has thrown his support behind WorldSBK standout Nicolo Bulega as his candidate to replace Fabio di Giannantonio at VR46 Racing for the final two events of the 2024 MotoGP season. The satellite squad is presently mulling options as it prepares to lose di Giannantonio for the concluding Malaysian and […]
How Martin is ‘playing’ Bagnaia in MotoGP championship run-in
Francesco Bagnaia’s face in the post-race press conference at Phillip Island on Sunday, after finishing third in MotoGP’s Australian Grand Prix, was the best imaginable projection of the 10 seconds that separated him from the victorious Marc Marquez and runner-up Jorge Martin. Reigning two-time champion Bagnaia’s gesture was one of concern, a logical reaction considering […]