the ruler of the world, Pecco Bagnaia, has a slight chance of claiming the crown this Sunday depending on what happens on Saturday in the Sprint. Right now, even with 74 points at stake and 14 in favour, the match-ball doesn’t work, but depending on Saturday’s Sprint result it could work for Sunday’s race.
If after the Sprint he has 12 or more points ahead of Martinator, he will have a match-ball for the GP Race and decide the crown if the difference between the two increases to 37 points, which is unattainable for Martinator in Valencia. With equal points, he has fewer GP wins, so the first concept for the tiebreaker is in favor of the Italian.
But at Media Day in Qatar it became clear that Bagnaia did not treat it as if he had a match point as he needed to add 23 points to his rival, which was “too many”.
“I need to win 23 points, I think, and they have a lot to win this weekend. Jorge is working in an incredible way and the most important thing is to focus in each session and do it like the last weekend in Sepang and try to be competitive; we know that the track has been re-asphalted and it can be a mystery for the tires and I think it will be demanding because it is new,” said Bagnaia.
“There is a small possibility to be champion, but it is very difficult to happen and for that situation to happen, I think the only possibility is that Jorge had a problem, because without that it is impossible to get a 23- point advantage in a weekend considering- considering the level we have now,” Bagnaia admitted.
Pecco’s honest assessment
“Right now, 14 points, given how tight the championship is, is nothing. 37 points every weekend is a lot and you can win or lose every weekend so it will be important to stay calm, work well and try to give his all because when last weekend, he -Martín- won two on Saturday and lost three on Sunday, all equal and I think another hand in hand,” he commented on the rivalry with Martín.
About Lusail He said “it’s a circuit I like, we’ve been competitive here, apart from last year, which was a bad moment of the season, but I still have the lap record and I think our bike is well suited to the circuit this.”
“I will face this weekend like everyone else and I know full well the chaos that pressure can cause, at the moment I feel that the only possible way for me to be champion again is to push and be at the front, but it is different pressure compared to what it felt like in Valencia last year, so I want to enjoy it, keep pushing and try to always be in front and try to get pole again and enjoy driving,” continued Bagnaia.
By 2023 the Lusail International Circuit has undergone a major remodeling of its facilities in its desire to become the reference circuit for Motorsport in the Middle East since, from this year, it permanently hosts F1 and MotoGP races. The pilots liked the resurfacing even though it meant a lot of previously acquired data was invalid on this occasion as well as the difference in calendar position which changed the traditional opening in March for November to carry out the facelift. time.
“With the new asphalt it can change a lot, last year we had to control the wear of the tires very much and we saw the best laps at the end, so there is no doubt that it will be interesting and it will be good to have a battle like in the past,” acknowledged the Italian pilot.
Regarding the warning for tire pressure in the Sepang race and that he equals Martín in this concept, he commented that “to be honest, I have done many races this year with high front pressure and I feel that I can , but they don’t change. much. the performance or the lap time because I’m used to riding 0.2 or 0.3 above the pressure, but I’m not satisfied with this rule.
“From the moment we talked about it for the first time, I already expressed that I don’t agree with him and that I don’t like it, but it is what we have. Anyone in our team can risk being close to the limit, because you can make a lot of difference and, in terms of results, you can push and have more than three seconds, or you can lose some positions, depending on the tire pressure,” added he said in a press conference.
They put together pictures of their beginnings
Bagnaia and Martín were Moto3 teammates in the Mahindra team led by Jorge Martínez “Aspar” in 2015 and 2016, so “it’s strange to say that it’s only been seven years because it seems like it’s been longer and when Jorge arrived. in the Mahindra team, I followed him in the ‘Rookies Cup’ and he is doing great things.”
“I had an exceptional teammate, and the truth is that he was very fast and competitive from the start, although he needed some time to adapt to everything, because there are drivers who are very fast and others who need a little time, but the fact that we are now playing for the title is incredible and that’s why I think Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’ and Gino Borsoi can be very proud,” said Bagnaia about his start in the world championship.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
