MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin will be looking to shake off rival Francesco Bagnaia this weekend, who is ideally placed to reclaim the overall lead at home in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Relegated far from the best during the last round, « Martinator » had left Misano, the scene of the San Marino GP, frustrated by a failed strategy in the rain which saw him finish a distant 15th on his Ducati-Pramac.
Two weeks later, the Spaniard will certainly be hungry for revenge on the same Italian track, this time at the Emilia-Romagna GP, where « I sin » Bagnaia has a solid chance to retake the championship lead with his factory Ducati. Only seven points separate him from Martin.
“I feel like I’m more focused when Pecco is a little closer”Martin joked Thursday. “I made the wrong decision (during the GP of Saint-Martin, editor’s note) but the important thing is to learn from your mistakes, to learn from these bad moments”he also said.
Third win in a row for Marquez?
Bagnaia, the reigning champion, has not won in MotoGP on the shores of the Adriatic since 2022 but he knows it by heart « son » circuit, where he regularly comes to train with Ducati.
And, on the eve of competing in his 100th GP in the elite, he warns: “my physical condition is better” that at the beginning of September, when he was still suffering from the consequences of a fall that had occurred a week earlier.
“So we are starting with an advantage over last time.” – where he still finished second in the sprint behind Martin on Saturday, and second in the GP the next day behind Marc Marquez.
Ducati-Gresini rider Marc Marquez wins the San Marino GP on the Misano circuit on September 8, 2024 in Italy / Gabriel BOUYS / AFP
The six-time MotoGP world champion Marquez, who is on a run of two consecutive GP victories, could well continue to put on a show on his Ducati-Gresini.
At Misano, he is the rider with the most victories since 2007 – and adding a sixth would bring him inexorably closer to the title contenders.
On the eve of the 14th round of 20 of the season, the Spaniard is third in the championship, 53 points behind Martin. If the champion continues to dodge questions about his chances of becoming champion this season, he also explains: Martin and Bagnaia “are still a little faster than us and I still have to improve some things”.
“But the most important thing is that all my goals for this year have been achieved – if something more happens, I would be happy about it.”he also said on Thursday.
Another candidate for victory is the Italian Enea Bastianini, who will be replaced next year by Marquez at Ducati and has never done worse than fourth place in MotoGP at Misano.
Ducati already aims for the title
Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia rides his Ducati during practice for the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano circuit on September 6, 2024. / GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/Archives
Regardless of who wins this weekend, Ducati has a first chance of winning its fifth consecutive constructors’ world championship title.
This season again, the Borgo Panigale brand has a major advantage thanks to its eight bikes on the grid (its two official flagships ridden by Bagnaia and Bastianini and six for the three satellite teams) – against only four or less for its rivals.
To be crowned in its stronghold, the Italian manufacturer must leave Misano with at least a 222-point gap over KTM, its closest pursuer, a gap which currently stands at 229 points.
Failing to play for the titles, Yamaha and its star rider, the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, still hope to gather information to reduce the gap with the top of the field, just like Cannes’ Johann Zarco who will return to his modest Honda-LCR.
