Francesco Bagnaia achieved ‘really beautiful’ feat against Marc Marquez despite painful Italian Grand Prix result

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Francesco Bagnaia showed some signs of life at the Italian Grand Prix after giving Marc Marquez a real run for his money en route to victory.

The Ducati stars sent the crowd into raptures by battling intensely throughout the opening stages of the Mugello race before things eventually calmed down.

Bagnaia was a man on a mission, keen to make an impression and a statement that he will not be a pushover.

But Marquez stood strong, using his brain and waiting for his teammate’s tyres to fade before easing away.

Marquez thinks Bagnaia ‘lacked’ speed and that there wasn’t much he could do to disturb him for a sustained period.

Despite the frustration that will come with his recent form, fans think Bagnaia showed ‘remarkable’ sportsmanship by shaking his rivals’ hand in Italy. He could have given him the cold shoulder.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez sends message to Italian Grand Prix fans who booed him following Sprint win

Francesco Bagnaia produced some ‘really beautiful’ things in Marc Marquez battle at Mugello

Marquez was booed at the Italian Grand Prix, which was a sign of the home crowd’s support for both Bagnaia and the retired Valentino Rossi.

Originally, Bagnaia had a ‘plan’ to ask Marquez for help, but it’s quite clear that his issues lie within the machinery, rather than his setup.

Peter Bom was pleased to see the two-time champion stand up on Sunday and noticed him do some special things.

“Even with Marc, we’ve seen in the past. If he gets the red mist, he can make a mistake,” he said. “You don’t want somebody to crash, if you put pressure on him, you show him a wheel left or right and you disturb his lines a little bit, for sure that’s what you need to do.

“It only worked for quite a short time when he was using up a lot of his rear tyre. Pecco and Marc was definitely like you said earlier Mat, saying ‘OK, I do nothing strange, I do nothing silly, I’ll just stay here, I just hang in here for a couple of minutes and see what everybody can do.’

“That was the time that Pecco on a knife edge, could do a couple of really beautiful things. I loved the controlled aggression that he threw in there. I love that.”

READ MORE: Luigi Dall’Igna is ‘convinced’ Francesco Bagnaia can do what ‘virtually’ no one can against Marc Marquez

Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez are fighting ‘an internal war’ at Ducati

Although Bagnaia is now in his fifth season with Ducati, he’s currently on his longest winless streak since he joined them in 2021.

Six races without being on the top step of the podium will feel strange, but that run would have been extended further without inheriting a win from a Marquez mistake at COTA.

Bagnaia and Marquez are fighting ‘an internal war’ over which parts to have on their Ducati bikes. They want different things.

Their relationship seems fine for the time being, but it’s up to them to ensure that the team remains strong and doesn’t let any weakness creep in. That’s when their rivals will look to capitalise.