The 2022 campaign Pecco Bagnaia there were shadows, but now it is in the phase of more lights after overcoming a disadvantage of 91 points, which are Fabio Quartararo He took him on June 19 after the Sachsenring race, to take the lead from Phillip Island with an advantage of 14 over the Frenchman, 27 over Aleix Espargaró and 42 over Enea Bastianini, the only mathematically able to be MotoGP champion today. But the Turin native will now have the advantage of serving his first match-ball this Sunday in Sepang and adding a second MotoGP crown in history after Casey Stoner’s in 2007.
With zero in the first Grand Prix in Qatar and Only 12 points were accumulated in the first three races no one foreshadowed such an outcome. On the opposite side of the scale Fabio Quartararo He began preparing for a second consecutive title from Jerez when he was alone at the top of the table. After the Red Bull Ring race on August 21, he was 32 points higher than the second classified, then Aleix Espargaró.
“Right now, I’m not very positive. It will be almost impossible, but we will try”, confessed Pecco when the difference reached 91 points after the German GP.
By overcoming such a huge gap, he is starring in the greatest return in history to the top class with the current scoring system introduced in 1993. Until now the record belongs to Joan Mir with 48 that Quartararo himself recovered to become world champion in 2020. Before Mallorca, Marc Márquez He did the same to reverse the 37 points in 2017 and 30 points in his rookie year in 2013 that separated him from Maverick Viñales and Dani Pedrosa, respectively.
From the Sachsenring, nine GPs behind, Quartararo added only 47 points, compared to 152 for Bagnaia, 105 points with the Ducatista.
“From -91 to +14 points requires a lot of work, when nobody gives you anything, it gives you more satisfaction and it’s a motivation race after race. He said that it’s almost impossible recover like this, but he should not give up either,” explained Bagnaia.
Only one top-5 in Sepang is worth it
He will have his first match point in Sepang this Sunday where he can only finish in the top five at one of the circuits that favor Ducati the most out of the two remaining. It does not depend on himself because in the event of victory it is necessary for Quartararo not to get on the podium, regardless of what Aleix Espargaró and Bastianini do.
“It will be a very important GP, but I will try to maintain the focus I have had since the summer break: prepare for the race and then see if it is possible to win the title there or if I have to wait for Valencia.” He says he doesn’t feel pressure to maintain peace of mind: “If I think about it, I put it on myself, so it’s better to be calm. Being smart will be the most important thing.”
And he doesn’t even check what’s going on inside his great rival’s box: “Honestly, I don’t know what his situation is, he’s definitely in a difficult moment. In practice he’s competitive, but in the race his problems start and even in qualifying he’s struggling more than before. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but the Yamaha is having trouble at the moment, probably because it has a less powerful engine.
Source: La Verdad
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