Five races at the end of the season, Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati have the chance to hit the MotoGP title 15 years later.
Pecco Bagnaia dominated for 22 of the 23 laps of the Aragon Grand Prix, up to Enea Bastianini’s soft paw at turn 7, a long sought-after overtaking, attempted and successful before, but the Piedmontese of the Ducati factory team had promptly responded. In the continuous search for the limit, the Gresini driver made a few small mistakes, lost tenths, but in the final he was once again able to make his ability to manage the tires predominate in the early stages.
Five points lost on the way to Pecco Bagnaia who, thanks to the fall of the leader Fabio Quartararo, approaches -10 to the top of the MotoGP World Championship and finally the championship can be considered reopened. Until the summer break, the 2022 season now seemed to be taken for granted and assigned to the reigning Yamaha champion, but only a few Grands Prix were enough to upset the equilibrium and rekindle hopes.
Pecco Bagnaia one step away from the World Cup
The Motegi GP comes after three years, on a circuit where the data of the past will count for little or nothing. And with one less free practice session on Friday, a race against time will be needed to immediately fix the bike settings and find a good feeling. Pecco Bagnaia will have to deal with an almost unexpected opponent, who has put a spanner in the works at both Misano and Aragon. And the rival, which bears the name of Enea Bastianiniis within the walls of the house, will soon be in the same box factory.
In the last five races the pressure will rise dramatically, in Borgo Panigale they want the drivers’ title that has been missing since 2007. “I have to be perfect on my bike and behave perfectly – Pecco Bagnaia explains to Speedweek.com -. I no longer worry when a driver closes the gap behind me. This year it has happened several times that someone has approached me, this is the most difficult situation on a mental level … I only think about the most important things in a race“.
At the MotorLand the fall of Fabio Quartararo it is like manna from heaven, the accounts are almost equal. Now it will be an open challenge in the land of the East, before the big final in Valencia. Pecco Bagnaia is 2nd and his ascent with the Ducati GP22 it seems unstoppable. The five points lost do not count if he has recovered as many as 20 from the top of the standings: “I felt that Aeneas was very close and I was sure he would try. It is useless to try to overtake again, it takes little to make a mistake – concluded the Turinese of the Lenovo Ducati team -. Safe points were more important than a possible victory“.
