Valencia, last act. This weekend we will find out who the 2023 MotoGP world champion will be. The fight between Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia is increasingly intense and the two arrive at the last, decisive race of the season separated by just 21 points, a gap that can let the reigning world champion breathe, but must not make him relax too much.
Bagnaia returns to the track where he won his first MotoGP title last year and will try to reconfirm himself in Valencia. The Piedmontese could close the game already on Saturday in the Sprint (here are the combinations on champion Pecco), thanks to the weekend in Lusail in which he increased his lead in the championship. “Only” 4 points would be enough for him to bring home the world championship, but this does not make him lower his guard, even though he remains calm.
“After the Qatar GP we arrive in Valencia with a 21 point advantage over Jorge,” says Bagnaia. “They definitely give us a little more breathing room, but they’re still not enough to be able to relax. 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 other races. The objective will always be the same: to work well from the first session on Friday, do a good qualifying, and try to fight for victory in the race. I’m calm and I can’t wait to get on track for this last act of the season.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team
Enea Bastianini also shows up in Valencia determined to do well. The last grand prix of the season will put an end to his particularly difficult debut with the official colours, where he however achieved a victory. The rider from Romagna will try to fight for the top positions, redeeming himself from the difficulties he had in Qatar last weekend.
“We have reached the last race of the season,” says Bastianini. “It’s been a really complicated year for me and I’d like to be able to end it in the best possible way. Last weekend in Qatar we struggled quite a bit to find the speed: on Friday we were left out of Q2 due to the yellow flags and on Saturday morning I was hindered in Q1 by another driver but, in any case, I didn’t have the same pace as the others. Then on Sunday, in the second half of the race, my feeling changed and I managed to have a competitive pace. The team analyzed all the data to try to understand why and in Valencia we will have to be fast starting from Friday.”
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