Once again Bagnaia, once again Ducati, once again Italy: the blue world of two wheels celebrates with Pecco and the entire Borgo Panigale company, after the second MotoGP World Champion title achieved by the Turin rider. All this by virtue of the victory achieved by “Nuvola Rossa” in the Valencia Grand Prix, but above all the fall of its great rival Jorge Martin (Ducati Pramac) during the sixth lap.
A special triumph for the class of 1997, absolutely deserved after demonstrating even more maturity than last year, when he was the one who pulled off a great comeback against Fabio Quartararo. He also had to grit his teeth and push his heart over the obstacle after the big scare in Catalonia, with that terrible accident which, in addition to putting the title at risk, could have had much more serious consequences than a simple injury. And instead he is still on the throne, he is still on the throne Francesco Pecco Bagnaia.
Bagnaia he won the Valencia Grand Prix, MotoGP class and became world champion for the second year in a row. The head-to-head between the Ducati rider from Piedmont and Jorge Martin lasted just six laps, until the Pramac Spaniard crashed. The Ducatis complete the podium Fabio Di Giannantonio and Johan Zarco.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) had been sanctioned three places on the grid for not respecting the black flag with orange disc. The Spanish driver did not stop immediately as required by the regulations and returned to the pits. With this penalty Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) started from pole position, with second Johann Zarco (Ducati Prima Pramac), third and Jack Miller.
Winning is never easy, confirming yourself is even more complicated. AND Pecco Bagnaia and his Ducati GP23, twelve months after that historic triumph waited 15 years, can celebrate again.
If the 2022 title was that of the long chase, with a legendary comeback from Fabio Quartararo’s 91-point lead halfway through the championship, this year’s title can be defined as the World Championship of maturity. The Borgo Panigale manufacturer has confirmed itself as the undisputed master of the premier class, thanks to the decline of Honda and Yamaha and an Aprilia that has not yet managed to take the final step: in short, it is no coincidence that it is contending for victory until The last one was another rider riding a Desmosedici, Jorge Martin. But having won last season was probably a decisive plus for the 26-year-old driver from Turin, who, despite a few mistakes, was able to extricate himself with wisdom and intelligence throughout the entire championship. The number 1 on the fairing of his Ducati, rather than increasing the pressure, gave him peace of mind. AND with the attitude of an experienced rider despite his still young age, he brought his motorbike to port.
It’s a close duel, where Bagnaia isn’t able to completely shake the Spaniard who scores another double in Thailand and continues to make himself felt breathing down his neck. We arrive at Qatar, once again it is Martin who shines most in the sprint and there are just 7 points separating the two. The Spaniard almost smells of overtaking but the tire betrays him in the Sunday race where Pecco is enough and advances to a second place which is worth a new lead to +21. The rest is already history: in the Valencia sprint Martin gets close but not enough. The premier class, for the second year in a row, speaks Italian.
Martin deserves the honor of arms, he tried until the end – complete with a crash after a few laps in Valencia – but the Doha race, even before the showdown in Spain, definitively tipped the scales towards Bagnaia. Which, unlike 2022, started off great, with the double in Portugal, then some ups and downs (success in the sprint in Austin and retirement on Sunday) before a consistency of results that projected him into the lead of the World Championship from Jerez onwards, resisting Marco Bezzecchi’s pressing. The Mugello and Spielberg weekends are the highest points achieved by the Bagnaia-Ducati duo, who come into the summer break with a comfortable +62 over Martin, who has meanwhile emerged as the most credible rival for the title.
And when the championship resumes, he pulls out his nails: a double at Misano and Motegi, in between India where he wins the sprint race and places second on Sunday, making the most of Pecco’s retirement. In the meantime he is forced to grit his teeth after the accident in Barcelona which risked compromising his career. The gap in the standings continues to narrow, until the overtaking on Saturday in Indonesia: Martin overtakes Bagnaia but the following day the world champion wins the long race and, thanks to his rival’s 0, regains the lead