“Martín has to do something bad for me to win; I am jealous and I would like to be in his place” – Pecco Bagnaia

Francesco Bagnaia faces a tough challenge at the MotoGP Solidarity GP in Barcelona to claim the championship: he must make up a 24-point deficit to Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati). However, Bagnaia admitted he doesn’t feel as much pressure as he would if the roles were reversed.

The Ducati rider reiterated that he believes his title hopes depend on Martín’s mistakes: ‘Percentages in this world generally don’t work. But Jorge absolutely has to do something wrong for me to win [le titre]. Because even if I win [les courses]he still has a big margin, so he will have to do something wrong’.

Bagnaia recognized that Martín, despite the pressure, is handling the situation well: ‘In 2022, it was my first title and I arrived at the last race with a gap of 23 points without the Sprint. So my goal was to finish 14th, and I was really under pressure. I finished the race in ninth position, and it’s very difficult to manage. I think he did well because he finished fifth. He almost fell twice, but he stayed on the track, so I think he did well. He tested a lot of tires, and it’s normal to be under pressure when you’re fighting for a title’.

While Bagnaia sees his current position as advantageous, he admitted that he envies Martín’s situation: ‘In my situation, I just have to win, and it’s similar to 2022 when I got 91 points. When you’re in that situation, where you have to win, it’s easier to stay calm because that’s the only way. Right now I feel better, but I’m jealous and wish I was in his situation’.