Moto GP: Bagnaia can manage, Martin plays it all at home. The keys to victory

It will be a much more fiery World Championship finale than the ranking says, those 21 points that separate Francesco Bagnaia from Jorge Martin and which, all things considered, allow him to approach Valencia without too much excitement. But after what happened in Qatar, the great race of Pecco, second behind an extraordinary Fabio Di Giannantonio, and the equally great disaster of Jorge Martin, betrayed by a tire which from the first meter forced him only to run to finish, it is It’s clear that the tension with which Ducati and Pramac are preparing for the final act is very high.

classification

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There were 7 after the Sprint, with Martin confirming himself as king of the fast race (8th center out of 18) and Bagnaia only 5th, also having difficulty with the performance of the rear tire and who in one fell swoop had halved the post-Malaysia advantage. They have become 21 which, if until last year, with 25 to be assigned per weekend, would have allowed Pecco to go to Valencia quite calmly (and in any case the Turin native wasn’t calm even 12 months ago despite the 23 points over Fabio Quartararo). , now that there are still 37 left to be assigned, they force him to remain cautious and guarded, against a Martin who now with his back to the wall has nothing to lose and will take to the track without making any further calculations.

pressure

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No, not that of the tires (we’ll talk about it below), but that which in this increasingly exasperated MotoGP in terms of calendar, performance, aerodynamics and close races, leads the riders to always race at the limit. A tension that results in a greater number of accidents (and injuries), various disagreements, the inability to disconnect. Bagnaia, as we have seen in the last two years, is very good at letting problems slide off his shoulders and reacting in the most complicated moments. After the bad Sprint on Saturday, even though he was angry, he continued to smile and, above all, it was enough to look him in the eyes to see a great serenity. He’s a big weapon in this finale. As the never-tame gladiator that he is, in Valencia we can instead expect a bad and determined Martin, ferocious in trying to win both races and then see what happens. Whatever happens, Jorge did his job – and very well – to the end.

tires

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It’s a shame that in Qatar the two competing for the World Championship were given a tire by Michelin that didn’t allow them to compete on equal terms. Given that it is not the first time this has happened in the season (remember Pecco’s accident at the start of Barcelona?) and considering the sword of Damocles of pressure hovering over the drivers (18 have been pinched so far), it is clear that the uncertainty on the competitiveness of tyres, since there can be no absolute certainties, it is exhausting. The hope is that everything goes smoothly in Valencia so as not to completely lose credibility for MotoGP.

Italy vs Spain

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Ricardo Tormo will be bedlam and it is not difficult to imagine that the red of Bagnaia’s fan club will struggle to be seen among the thousands of fans who will inevitably push Martin. If Pecco won in Valencia two years ago, Jorge has always gone very fast among the curves designed inside the amphitheater of grandstands which offer an almost complete overview of the circuit. And it is clear that the public factor could also play a decisive role in two races which, in addition to speed, will rely on nervous tension. And then, it is only human that it happens, just as the Italian pilots, if they can, will lend a hand to Bagnaia, if only by avoiding dangerous maneuvers, the Spanish ones will do the same with Martin. Moreover, Marc Marquez himself, who finished behind him in Qatar, admitted it on Sunday evening: «I didn’t fight with him at the end, it didn’t change my life and instead for him those few points could be important».