Michael Laverty adamant ‘everyone’ is wrong about Francesco Bagnaia at Argentina Grand Prix

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Francesco Bagnaia once again lagged behind Ducati teammate Marc Marquez in the Argentina Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday. For the third consecutive race, the podium order was the same.

Six-time MotoGP champion Marquez led home his brother in yet another controlled performance. The Gresini rider put him under more pressure than he had in Thailand, getting within a couple of tenths at times.

But Marquez Sr had an answer, stretching the gap back out when required. Bagnaia started fourth but got past the sluggish Johann Zarco and then won a brief battle with Fabio Quartararo.

He was four seconds behind his teammate at the chequered flag after failing to catch the top two in relatively free air. On the face of it, it’s especially concerning that he can’t match the younger Marquez brother, who’s riding a year-old GP24 motorcycle.

Michael Laverty defends ‘resilient’ Francesco Bagnaia at Argentina Grand Prix

Speaking on TNT Sports after the Argentina Grand Prix Sprint, pundit Michael Laverty leapt to the defence of Bagnaia. The narrative, he says, is that the Italian is cracking under the pressure of facing Marquez.

But the Northern Irishman feels this is an unfair appraisal. In fact, he commended Bagnaia on his resilience.

Ducati boss Luigi Dall’Igna told Bagnaia to ‘remember last year’ when he saw his frustration in Thailand. A string of accidents arguably cost him the 2024 crown in his battle with Jorge Martin.

Laverty believes the two-time premier-class title-winner is performing an effective damage limitation exercise this time. He had once again struggled on Friday, finishing the second session 10th fastest.

“You know the media are going to continue to write about it,” said Laverty. “They’re going to say ‘Pecco’s beginning to break, and the cracks are starting to show’.

“But I actually see another side of Pecco. I see a resilience. I see someone who’s focusing.

“To turn it around on a tough track – that’s his best-ever result around Termas de Rio Hondo. That’s seven solid points.

“Everyone’s saying Marc’s absolutely crushing him right now. But I see a difference. I think Pecco’s doing exactly what he can do, getting the most out of his package on a tough weekend for him.”

Mick Doohan pinpoints the moment Francesco Bagnaia realised how good Marc Marquez is

Bagnaia has a relatively weak record in Termas de Rio Hondo. Before this weekend, P5 was his best result.

He had been running second on the series’ last visit in 2023 but he ended up tumbling down to 16th after an accident in wet conditions. The consensus is that Bagnaia will be able to take the fight to Marquez come round four in Qatar, where he was triumphant last year.

The concern, of course, is that Marquez will already have built up a commanding lead by that point. Indeed, Davide Tardozzi is starting to ‘sweat’ over Bagnaia’s form.

Speaking at the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, where he’s watching his son Jack in action, MotoGP legend Mick Doohan weighed in on the Ducati battle. Bagnaia realised how quick Marquez really was after testing, he says, but must channel the pressure he’s feeling into motivation.