Francesco Bagnaia reacts after Valentino Rossi tells him to give ‘5% more’ in MotoGP title bid

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Francesco Bagnaia is eyeing a third MotoGP title this year. He’ll try to draw extra motivation from his narrow 2024 defeat to Jorge Martin.

Pramac rider Martin beat Bagnaia by just 10 points in 2024, ending his championship streak at two. Now he faces the legendary Marc Marquez at the factory Ducati squad.

Valentino Rossi named Bagnaia his title favourite for this year. Marquez will have to adapt to new surroundings and jumps straight from a 2023 bike to a 2025 challenger.

Bagnaia, who was won 29 Grands Prix in the premier class, is a graduate of Rossi’s VR46 academy. The Doctor continues to mentor him following his retirement.

As revealed in an interview earlier this month, Bagnaia thought about his 2024 mistakes on his honeymoon. He retired from three races as a result of collisions, and four as a result of errors.

Bagnaia must prove this season that he can cope under intense pressure. Marquez may have already sensed a potential weakness before his first year alongside his new teammate.

Francesco Bagnaia says performance isn’t the ‘problem’ after Valentino Rossi advice

While Rossi regards Bagnaia as the favourite, he also warned he’d have to ‘give 5% more’ to succeed. Speaking at Ducati’s launch on Monday, the 28-year-old offered his response.

He believes he isn’t lacking when it comes to ‘pure performance’. In fact, he could have afforded fewer wins if it meant he was more consistent.

But he’s received some important advice from Ducati team boss Luigi Dall’Igna. The MotoGP veteran has reminded him that finishing races is far easier than winning them.

“Vale said that I will have to give 5% more this year? It’s something symbolic,” he told Sky Italy. “Last year I won 11 GPs, if I had won 10 and had fallen down once less I would have become world champion.

“It’s not something to be found in pure performance, that’s not a problem, but in something else. Gigi Dall’Igna told me a great truth: it’s easier to learn not to fall than to win.”

Famous MotoGP manager couldn’t believe what he saw Pecco Bagnaia do up close

Marco Melandri offered a strange explanation for Bagnaia’s mistakes, claiming he makes errors when he’s ‘too comfortable’. Ordinarily, a rider would be more stable when they feel relaxed.

But perhaps the thinking is that he loses focus, or becomes overconfident. If that’s the case, he’ll have to change his approach in order to beat Marquez.

The intra-team rivalry at Ducati is expected to be one of the big storylines of the 2025 season. But Bagnaia has shown little interest in playing any psychological games.

Indeed, veteran MotoGP manager Carlo Pernat says Bagnaia is ‘the best teammate you could wish for’. Having worked with Enea Bastianini, he’s seen him ‘up close’, and he was hugely impressed by his attitude.