Márquez and Bagnaia, good harmony before the battle for the title

Suddenly the lights dim and the singer of the event, at a dinner with hundreds of people on the top of a mountain in Madonna di Campiglio, begins to sing Stand by me. The lyrics of this musical anthem, which refers to dark times in American history, speak of the importance of the company and its support in difficult times, a message that could well serve as an idyllic script for the new stage it faces. the Ducati box this year in MotoGP. Among the diners, mixed together as if they were not the protagonists, at a table like the rest of the attendees, they listen to the song Marc Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia.

The two pilots, facing each other, stage their good harmony between the first course, the second and finally the dessert accompanied by their respective loved ones. Laughter and relaxed chat mark the moment, a pleasant atmosphere that does not seem forced and in which heavyweights from the red team such as the general director, Claudio Domenicali, and the team manager also participate, with visits to the champions’ table. , Davide Tardozzi. The team’s general manager, Gigi Dall’Igna, gets a closer look, sitting next to Márquez. The Spanish driver and the Italian act almost like friends hours after their presentation with the most powerful team on the grid, oblivious to the fight for the title that they will begin to fight with the start of the World Championship.

The relaxed atmosphere, at meals and events, was only punctuated by the memory of the clash in Portugal

The overtaking, just a few centimeters away from the fairing of both Desmosedici, with inclinations at the limit of gravity and on the brink of disaster, will test the now great coexistence of Márquez and Bagnaia in a box where 11 drivers’ titles come together. “We will support both. We have two champions, a pride. It is easier to work with two champions than with two young people,” says Tardozzi, the person responsible for ensuring the good of the team in a year where they are once again the rival to beat. The team manager knows Pecco “very well”, a rider who, despite his two involvements with Ducati, is simple and usually avoids problems. Tardozzi has “started to get to know Marc these days,” and is “surprised by his humility.” “I see respect, they talk a lot among themselves and they go together to improve the bike. The races will tell who is ahead,” says Tardozzi, also prepared to “manage a storm.”

“I knew I would lose,” explains Márquez in a face-to-face event organized yesterday by the team in the heart of the Dolomites, with the two Desmosedici GP25s in the background. The Catalan does not refer to MotoGP, but to the traditional ski race between Ducati riders. The act confirms that from the outside, peace reigns before the war. “It is an opportunity to get to know each other. “We have talked more about our lives than about sports,” says Bagnaia. “It’s the best way to create a great atmosphere,” answers the Spaniard, who is only disturbed by the spontaneous entry of a dog onto the scene.

“I remember the day perfectly. It was the Monlau competition. He came to say hello. My boss said ‘we have to watch him closely this year because he will win the World Cup.’ And that’s how it was,” recalls the man from Turin when he met Márquez, at the Castellolí circuit in 2010. “Good memory,” the man from Turin praises him. The compliments follow one another, Bagnaia wants to learn to negotiate the left curves like his teammate and the Spaniard wants to learn the right curves like the transalpine.

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“Nobody wants to crash. “There are zero points,” continues a friendly Márquez. “Finishing that race fifth would have won the title,” Bagnaia responds surprisingly, in reference to the 2024 crash in Portimão that ended with both of them in the gravel. “I’m sorry,” the Catalan replies. Tension for a moment that ends with widespread laughter and a pleasant test in which Márquez opts for paella, chorizo ​​and cava while Bagnaia opts for risotto, salami and prosecco. Two opposite palates, as well as their piloting. Once the talk is over, the Spaniard and the Italian leave the event in a hurry to, yes, focus on the battle for the MotoGP title. No more words, now only the sound of the engine matters.