Too inconsistent, too prone to errors and only have a chance of winning the MotoGP world championship title because they are on the best motorcycles in the class – Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia recently had to put up with such disdain. And that despite the fact that they have shared 26 of the 38 possible victories between themselves in the races of the season so far – 19 sprints and 19 Grands Prix – and are now ahead of their first pursuers Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini in the overall standings by around 100 points.
Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia: Not sufficiently appreciated
This called out Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi in the run-up to the MotoGP race weekend in Sepang: “I have the utmost respect for riders like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo or Casey Stoner, but they are champions of a different era. This era has new ones Champions. Jorge and Pecco are not given enough credit by people. In my opinion, they are on the same level as their predecessors.”
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The World Championship contenders promptly provided proof of their outstanding abilities in Sunday’s race. They alternated at the top position 16 times in the first three laps. Every maneuver remained spotless, without excessive contact and without a single track limit violation. Martin and Bagnaia took full risks, even though the ultimate prize in motorcycling was at stake: the MotoGP world title. And all of this in the most difficult conditions – both physically and in terms of the grip level of the track – with 34 degrees outside and 54 degrees on the asphalt.
MotoGP dominators hold their nerve
But that’s not all about the difficult conditions: last weekend was a tough one for the entire MotoGP. As she was setting up her tent in Sepang on Wednesday, the first news of the flood disaster in Valencia came through. A city that would not only be home to the season finale two weeks later, but which is firmly anchored in the paddock.
MotoGP is not racing in the 2024 season finale, but for Valencia, photo: MotoGP
Racing teams like the Aspar Team are based there, and numerous paddock members come from the region. Due to the collapsed communication infrastructure in Valencia, many of them did not know for a long time how their families and friends were doing in their homeland, almost 11,000 kilometers away. The MotoGP stars remembered the more than 200 confirmed deaths on Sunday with a minute’s silence on the starting grid. Immediately afterwards it was time to hide the terrible images, put on the helmet and get into the race. The fact that this had to be stopped and then restarted after a bad starting accident and minutes of worrying about Jack Miller, who initially remained motionless, was the final element in this complex of adversities.
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Bagnaia and Martin mastered this in the style of great champions. Because that’s exactly what they are. Yes, compared to earlier times, they make a lot of mistakes. But that doesn’t make them worse drivers than those who fought for victories and world championship titles in the premier class ten, twenty or thirty years ago. Different eras present racers with different challenges. Never before has the line between success and defeat been as narrow as in the current MotoGP. Minor mistakes that were forgiving on motorcycles in the past now lead to crashes. Marc Marquez, who a few years ago impressively prevailed against drivers like Rossi and Lorenzo without any notable mistakes, must also recognize this. It is therefore nonsensical to set the standards of past generations for Bagnaia or Martin. After all, no one would have thought of accusing drivers like Rossi, Stoner or Lorenzo of often only being able to win their races by a few tenths of a second, while a decade earlier Mick Doohan sometimes left the competition behind by almost half a minute.
Every era has its drivers who achieve extraordinary things and thus earn the label of aliens that was once coined. Martin and Bagnaia are definitely one of them. Riders like Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo have already proven in the past that they belong to this elite circle – they can undoubtedly return to their former glory. And with Pedro Acosta, the premier class has a youngster who is poised to enchant fans of our sport for many years to come. MotoGP is currently in a golden age in terms of driving. You just have to recognize it.
