An exceptional spectator of the world battle between Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin is Valentino Rossi, who arrived today in Valencia for the final race of the season, decisive and emotional. The reigning world champion has the opportunity to reconfirm himself for the second time in a row (he would be the first to do so after Marc Marquez) and at the end of the Valencia Grand Prix, Luca Marini will leave the Mooney VR46 team to go to Honda.
There is room for every type of emotion, but only a mind like Valentino’s is able to make a clear and precise analysis of what happens inside the two garages. The Doctor talks about the sensations and emotions from the inside while remaining calculative and considering every aspect that can influence whether or not he wins the world title. Today Martin achieved victory in the Sprint, closing the gap on Bagnaia by 7 points and aiming to repeat the same on Sunday. The factory Ducati rider, on the other hand, was the author of a duller performance in the race caused by a soft tire which turned out to be a less than ideal choice and he finished fifth.
However, given the pace that Pecco had shown during Saturday morning, it seemed that everything could go smoothly… Or almost. Yes, because after the difficulties on Friday, the Piedmontese managed to straighten out his weekend with a breakthrough that left everyone speechless. Sprint, however, told a different story. But why didn’t Bagnaia mark Martin in terms of tire choice? “It was what we thought,” says Valentino Rossi in an interview on Sky Sport MotoGP. “In a race like this, Pecco had to put on the same tires as Martin and then go like him. If it was the right tyre, both would be good, if it was the wrong tyre, both would be bad. But this morning Pecco felt very good with the medium, but Bezzecchi and Marini also started with the medium, it seemed that the two tires were very similar, from the data they had. However, in the race it didn’t go like this, because the soft made the difference, until the end he achieved 29″9, whereas with the medium it was 30″1 to 30″2″.
The current situation sees Bagnaia still leader, but with 14 points ahead of Martin, which are not few but not many either. “Now Martin is ready to do anything to win the world championship, he has been marking him since Friday, but this morning Pecco was perfect from the first lap, he managed to turn the tables. So there was also the dream of closing it today, but that’s how it happened. Tomorrow will be another good challenge. 14 points is a big lead in a game, but it’s the last one and it’s tough, because he’s all-in. Mentally though it’s better to be in front, I’d rather have a 14 lead than a gap. But it must be said that Pecco starts second again tomorrow, let’s hope he gets a good start, that he makes the right tire choice and we can copy Martin’s strategy”, claims Rossi.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
However, what reassures Vale in some way is seeing how Bagnaia is less agitated compared to last year, when he found himself in the same situation and then went on to win against Fabio Quartararo: “He seems a little more calm compared to last year because he he has already lived, a little experience in these cases helps, it’s good. Last night we talked and today he did everything he had and we had thought, now we’ll have to see him tonight, maybe she’s a little tougher. But it’s not easy for Martin either. It was immediately clear that Martin was one of the strong ones in MotoGP. There were some doubts about his physique because he is young, but he has had a lot of tough injuries. Instead, since Pecco crashed in Barcelona, Jorge has stepped up a gear. He was in a slightly easier position psychologically, but from there he understood that it could be his chance. Pecco had a 60 point lead, if he hadn’t crashed there I’m not saying it was closed but he would have had a big lead. From there Martin said that this was his chance”.
It is then inevitable to touch on the Luca Marini theme. Valentino’s younger brother will leave the Mooney VR46 team to join the Honda garage, where he will replace Marc Marquez. The news, which only lacks the official status which should arrive on Monday, arrived like a bolt from the blue and left many amazed, first of all Rossi: “For us it was a shock, we didn’t expect it. I’m very sorry because it was very nice to see him come to the front and be the protagonist with my team. But he had this opportunity for a free seat in Honda, which is an official team. Everyone has dreams of him, he has two years on his contract and becomes a factory rider. I’m a big fan of him, so I’ll help him as much as I can. It’s a tough choice the way Honda is going now, but you know… Honda is Honda.”
Marini’s choice proves to be a courageous choice given the current situation of the Japanese brand. Valentino Rossi, however, is convinced that the technical contribution that Luca can give will be important, also considering the fact that we are trying to change direction to return to being competitive: “In my opinion something will change, because in any case Honda and Yamaha cannot afford to do the MotoGP and suffer so much. They have understood that they have to move up a gear, because MotoGP has changed so much, in recent years Ducati above all has given a great boost and brought everyone up. Luca is a very good test rider and it will be interesting to see the tests, Morbidelli will also be there with the Ducati.”
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