Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP legend and former Honda teammate to Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, has revealed his admiration for one aspect in which the championship leader has carried himself during post-race interviews.
Marquez’s formidable return to the top of the MotoGP riders’ standings this season has been a sight to behold, following a string of injury-ridden years that held him back from unleashing his true potential.
During his most recent rout in Hungary, TNT Sports pundit and former rider Sylvain Guintoli described Marquez as ‘immaculate’, as he took his eighth pole position of the year at a brand new circuit.
After his eighth win of the year in Austria, Jorge Lorenzo jokingly congratulated his compatriot on the likely possibility of breaking one of his own MotoGP records before the end of the season.
Unaware of how close he is or which record he was alluding to, Marquez coolly asked Lorenzo, ‘Which one?’ in a testament to how firmly planted the Spaniard’s feet are on the ground amid his undeniable dominance.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend
Dani Pedrosa has been taken aback by Marc Marquez’s ability to play down expectations
Speaking to moto.it following the conclusion of Marquez’s ninth win of the season in Hungary, Pedrosa noted the one thing from the current championship leader that he has been most impressed by this season, aside from the results.
“There’s nothing to say, nothing can be said, it’s impossible,” Pedrosa started. “He’s done everything perfectly in the last few races. He’s dominated, but not only that.
“What impresses me most, besides the results he’s achieved by winning in these conditions, on this circuit, in any case, what impresses me most is how he manages expectations.
“Because obviously, when you win every race, then you go to the press, you have to talk to them and calm the expectations that fall on you, expectations that are: he’ll win everything and he’ll win whenever he wants.
“So, for me, that aspect of Marc is impressive.”
Pedrosa spent the final six seasons of his MotoGP career alongside Marquez at the factory Honda team. In that space of time, Marquez won five out of his six current titles in the premier class.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Ducati from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Dani Pedrosa says Francesco Bagnaia needs to ‘try’ and take the positives from another poor MotoGP race weekend
On the other side of the factory Ducati garage, Francesco Bagnaia had another race weekend where his results left a lot to be desired. After failing to make it into Q2 on Saturday, the Italian rider finished outside of the points-paying positions in the Sprint race and could only manage ninth in the Grand Prix.
The result marked the two-time MotoGP champion’s second-worst result of the season, with Marquez’s seventh double-race winning weekend rubbing salt in the wounds for Bagnaia.
“It was definitely an up-and-down weekend, and despite that, he resolved the situation in the race, having started fifteenth,” Pedrosa said about Bagnaia. “He made a mistake that penalised him with a long lap penalty, but let’s say the start was good. In the first lap, he recovered a lot of positions.
“There are positives to take from Bagnaia’s race. Obviously, there are also negatives, like the finishing position and that mistake on the last lap. But I think he should try to take the positives, even if small, and he should hold on to them.”
Bagnaia’s lack of a fight against Marquez this season has been one of the most disappointing aspects of the current campaign, a sentiment which is shared amongst fans as well as members of the grid, including Franco Morbidelli.
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