In the recent Spanish Grand Prix, there was an intense battle between Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez, the reigning double world champion. Bagnaia won by a small margin, with Marquez coming in a close second, marking his first podium as a Gresini Ducati rider.
These two riders have competed against each other before, with Bagnaia winning his first MotoGP race in 2021 after a tough fight with Marquez. In a race earlier this year in Portugal, they had a controversial collision while battling for a top-five position.
Both riders were excited about their close fight in the Spanish Grand Prix. Marquez expressed his admiration for Bagnaia, saying, “It’s a pleasure to fight against the world champion and the reference in the Ducati group.” He sees it as a learning opportunity to compete with such a skilled rider. Marquez acknowledged that Bagnaia has some strengths that he doesn’t yet possess but hopes to improve and get closer to him in the future.
After Jorge Martin, the current championship leader, crashed out of the Grand Prix, Marquez is now in sixth place in the standings, trailing by 32 points. Despite starting the race from pole position and feeling confident in his adaptation to the GP23 bike, Marquez believes it’s too early to focus on the championship standings.
He acknowledges that there will be tracks where he might struggle but remains optimistic about his performance. He also recognizes that while some aspects of his riding style are weaker with the new bike, there are also some strengths.
