MotoGP | Rossi praises Bagnaia: “At the moment he doesn’t have a weak point”

Having a weekend off from his four-wheeled commitments, Valentino Rossi took the opportunity to visit his old paddock, that of MotoGP. The “Doctor” arrived in Austria not only to assist the standard-bearers of his Pertamina Enduro VR46, but also to closely follow the members of the VR46 Riders Academy, whose flagship is undoubtedly Pecco Bagnaia, two-time reigning world champion of the premier class.

Today he had the opportunity to see up close the umpteenth triumph of the Ducati rider, who won the Sprint at the Red Bull Ring, thus levelling the scores in the World Championship with his rival Jorge Martin, who paid dearly for a long lap penalty received for cutting a chicane, but then had the opportunity to limit the damage thanks to Marc Marquez’s crash, finishing right behind Pecco.

After the race, the nine-time world champion was a guest in the Sky Sport MotoGP studios and it must be said that he had some important words to say about his pupil.

“This weekend started off strong, right from the first practice sessions. Martin is there, but he always manages to have that little bit more: he is very calm, he rides well and he is incredibly fast. He has improved a lot in all aspects and at the moment Bagnaia doesn’t have a weak point. He has the lap, he always gets off to a flying start and this is a very important thing. It’s something that champions like Verstappen do. Getting a good start all the time is not easy, every now and then you get a few mistakes, but he is always there. Then he is incredibly fast”, said Valentino.

“Lately, under pressure he’s been giving his all, he manages to bring out that extra bit. Bagnaia’s strength for me is this: he’s aggressive, but he’s not dirty. He’s clean, but he’s not sweet. He’s the right mix between nastiness, aggression, riding the Ducati with oversteer under braking, but also mileage and not making mistakes. Now he’s hard to beat, but I’m there with Martin”, he added.

Even though he believes a lot in Bagnaia, in fact, he does not rule out that the World Championship could end up being played out once again in the last race in Valencia between him and “Martinator”, just like it happened a year ago.

“After so many races they are still tied on points, so there is a good chance that they will get to the end. Then it depends a lot on the dynamics: now we come from a moment in which Bagnaia had recovered a lot of points, because he was already 44 points behind. He has regained it and now he is there. In any case it will be a good fight, because Martin is a very fast rider, he also makes few mistakes, he starts well and these are the important things in today’s MotoGP, so it will be a good fight until the end”.

“Before the break, Pecco was in a better condition, because he caught up with him and even passed him. However, Martin, despite the fact that he will no longer be in Ducati next year and will have to change teams, was right back there when he returned from vacation and managed to get back in front. At the moment it’s probably a draw, as the 250 tied in the standings also says. Even from the outside, however, those two are always the ones who go a little faster, you can also see by eye that they have a few tenths in the most important points of the track”.

The rider from Pesaro then also returned to the most debated episode of the race, the long lap penalty given to Martin for not losing at least one second after cutting the chicane in an attempt to overtake Bagnaia. A dynamic on which Valentino seems to have rather clear ideas.

“Martin made a mistake in braking and went off the track, so in theory there should be grass there. Now there’s concrete on the tracks, but I think it’s also right that those who make a mistake should pay. It’s unfair that he cuts the chicane because there’s concrete and rejoins the one in front. There he should have waited a little longer, let Marquez pass and then get back in the race: when he makes a mistake he’s equal to Pecco, then he comes back to a tenth and a half, but I understand that a second is difficult to calculate”.

“The concrete outside the track is safer, because if there is grass instead you fall, and safety is the most important thing. But sometimes it also distorts the races a little, because if someone knows that there is asphalt there, they try anyway, knowing that at worst they can cut. That’s how it is, but when you go off the track it’s right that you pay”, he concluded.