Pressure doesn’t seem to matter for the Bagnaia, rather the opposite happens for the Spaniard. But as long as MotoGP remains in the hands of the Spaniards …
Since its existence, MotoGP has been the speed derby between Italy and Spain. From 2002 onwards – apart from Australian phenom Casey Stoner and the lonely flashes of American Nicky Hayden and Frenchman Fabio Quartararo – only Italians and Spaniards made the list of honors. Italy’s Valentino Rossi first, then Francesco Bagnaia. Ducati Italy, which overtook the giants of Japan, and Aprilia, which is growing and presents itself as the second force in the world championship. In front of Spain is Jorge Lorenzo, Joan Mir and above all Marc Marquez, the Honda rider who until 2019 made this phenomenon between feats and feats. Spain, which does not have large manufacturers, but which has large sponsors. Starting with Repsol that always bet heavily on Marquez, the rider who – together with Lorenzo – made the Spaniards discover the sweet taste of victory against the Rossi legend. With Sete Gibernau and Daniel Pedrosa they are used to always losing…
another movie
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Yesterday we watched another movie compared to those duels – sometimes sloppy but always brilliant – between Mark and Vali. Perhaps because Rossi was still on the track or maybe because Marquez who was seen in action at the first race of the season in Portugal doesn’t look even like a distant relative of this champ who pissed us off but can only admire him. The courage and class with which he broke down his opponents and Rossi’s records. Injuries, falls, and frequent stoppages took him back, down, to other levels. Thus, the MotoGP premiere ceremony, a secular rite that we do not tire of celebrating, is ruined after a few kilometers. The Marquis – the most titled, the one who should lead by example – invented a clumsy joke. And on the third lap he made an amateurish foolishness, slamming the bikes and bodies of his opponents: a slam dunk for Ducati’s Jorge Martin and a slam dunk of Miguel Oliveira.
Italy and Spain
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And what does Italy and Spain have to do with all this? does not come. Because, taking note of Marquez’s immediate apology, one cannot turn a blind eye: MotoGP is still a (nice) toy in the hands of the Spanish Dorna. She reminded us of this with the ridiculous penalty inflicted on national champion Mark: two long laps at the next Grand Prix in Argentina. The Portimao incident ends with a pat, but it does not solve the problem. Because even the Honda rider walked away damaged from the accident he caused himself. Now he will have to deal with two more wounds: one in his body and the other in his reputation. He suffered a suspected fracture of his right hand, which, even if it puts him in doubt about the Argentine Grand Prix, will surely heal. But it is the other invisible deformity that worries us and seems destined to leave traces in increasingly tactical MotoGP where the head counts more than the wrist.
purity of sin
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Pecco Bagnaia knows this very well, and he proved it right away, starting the season quietly the strongest, with the No. 1 in a fairing. He drives without performance worries, seizing the opportune moment to snare his rivals, pulling away from them and becoming an elusive figure. Becoming the man who beats him doesn’t weigh him down. In fact, it gives them wings. The opposite of what happens to Marc Marquez, a prisoner of his past. He won eight world titles and perhaps nine Russian titles became his obsession. And so the driver whom everyone fears, who has “bypassed the ears of his rivals”, now on the track begins to generate another kind of fear. However, those around him seem resigned. The same thing that was present yesterday on the bewildered faces of the men in the Honda’s framed box a few seconds after the accident. On the 30th, Marquez must get out fast, for himself and others and to keep the MotoGP derby alive.
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