The head-to-head continues
The Australian trip to Phillip Island, on one of the most spectacular and fun tracks of the entire world championship calendar, promises to ignite even more the exciting head-to-head between Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin for the conquest of the 2023 world title. Fresh from the reversals of Mandalika, with the leadership of the classification grabbed on Saturday by the Spaniard and then reconquered in the space of just 24 hours by the reigning champion, the anticipation is very high for the event Down Under which could direct this long final sprint in one direction or another. Without forgetting Marco Bezzecchi in third position.
Even for the other drivers on the grid, however, the belief is that of direct head to head between the Italian of the official team and the Spaniard of the Prima-Pramac team. But who is the favorite between the two? After Saturday in Indonesia everything pointed to a Martin benefiting from the favorable trend. However, the result of Sunday’s GP reversed the inertia. An interesting discussion is related to pressure. There are quite a few who believe that Bagnaia, as an official driver and outgoing champion, has more to lose compared to his rival, who would become the first rider ever in the MotoGP class to win the title representing a client team.
Alex Marquez’s prediction
The only other Spanish rider riding a Ducati this year also joined this line of thought: Alex Marquez. “The greatest pressure is on Pecco because he is the champion – declared the representative of the Gresini team, who anxiously awaits his brother Marc’s arrival in the team – he who defends the crown is also the one who is afraid of losing it in some way. If the other driver wins, he will have the pressure the following year. But whoever really has the pressure, as they say at the beginning of the year when a championship starts, is the champion, and in this case it is Pecco”.
Marquez Jr. then, speaking with the Spanish journalists present in Australia, let himself go favorable prognosis for his compatriot: “Who do I support? I have no preferences – commented the two-time world champion – I hope the best driver wins. If I have to focus on one today, it’s Martínbecause at the moment I see him with a little more pure speed and with clearer ideas than Pecco“. The classic Italy-Spain challenge has begun.
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