“My challenges with Aeneas have made a lot of noise, people want us against each other. We are adversaries, all right: but friends”: like this Francis Bagnaia during the presentation of the official Ducati 2023 team, he underlined the fact that he has a solid relationship with his new teammate, who certainly won’t hide his ambitions in wanting to steal the number one from his peer and compatriot. The two have crossed paths since the mini bikes following different paths in terms of training.
Bagnaia grew up in Spain at a competitive level, while Bastianini was able to take advantage of the Red Bull Rookies Cup, a preparatory single-make brand from KTM, as a stage. The key season for both was the 2014. Bagnaia had just returned from a difficult year with the Italia team and relaunched himself with the debut of the Sky Racing team by VR46 alongside the ‘first striker’ Romano Fenati. Bastianini, on the other hand, was immediately competitive with the Gresini team’s KTM.
Both missed out on the Moto3 title, but did not miss out on the appointment with the Moto2 World Championship, both won in their second season in the category. Now the two find themselves in the same garage at Ducati, the fact that Bagnaia has already won a world title in the premier class divides them, as Bastianini himself underlined. After all the controversy in the 2022 finale over the alleged ‘team playDucati pro Bagnaia in the season finale now the two crystal clear talents of Italian motorcycling will be able to challenge each other on equal terms.
Bagnaia, however, is sure he is ready to respond to any type of pressure, internal and external, to defend number #1: “It will be difficult, complicated, but I am ambitious and determined enough to make it. I learned to stay calm, to think about one race at a time. I can handle all this pressure. And the new bike won’t be as revolutionary as last season’s.” concluded Bagnaia as reported by today’s edition of The Republic.
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