Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix marked the first time that he beat factory Ducati teammate Marc Marquez on track without the aid of an unforced error.
Bagnaia had a perfect weekend at Motegi, securing pole position and a Sprint race win on Saturday as well as his second Grand Prix victory of the season on Sunday.
It was a ride reminiscent of his form prior to the struggles he has experienced during the current MotoGP campaign, largely down to his difficult adaptability to the GP25.
Bagnaia took the chequered flag over four seconds ahead of Marquez, reasserting himself as a contender for wins in the final five rounds of the season.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Neil Hodgson noted how Francesco Bagnaia looked like his former self at the Japanese Grand Prix
The Italian rider got off to a good start when the lights dropped at the start of the Grand Prix, akin to the launch he got in the Sprint race. Bagnaia led every racing lap over the course of the weekend’s two races, in a testament to how phenomenal his performance was.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage of the race, former MotoGP rider Neil Hodgson highlighted how impressive Bagnaia looked, noting his form from previous years that saw him put up a fight for the last three premier class titles.
“Unbelievable,” Hodgson told his co-commentator, Gavin Emmett, “every time you see Pecco Bagnaia, his corner entry looks just like last year.
“The bike glides in; there’s none of this nervous kickback that we’ve seen all year. He’s not missing any apexes; it looks fully in control.”
Emmett then added, “If only we’d have had this Pecco from round one of the championship, it may well have been a different story.”
MotoGP fans echo a similar sentiment to Emmett as they took to social media following the chequered flag in Japan to express their ire at not getting a title fight between the two factory Ducati riders that many thought would be the case at the beginning of the year.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Ducati from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Marc Marquez also sealed his seventh MotoGP title at the Japanese Grand Prix
The main headline that emerged from the race weekend at Motegi was the fact that Marquez finally secured his seventh premier class world championship, which had eluded him since his previous title feat of the 2019 season.
The high-flying Spaniard finished the Sprint race and Grand Prix in second place. With his eyes firmly set on what he needed to do to clinch the trophy at the home race of his former team, Marquez stated that no one would remember the winner of the Japanese GP due to his crowning afterwards.
Despite his words, Hodgson believes Marquez was “seething” during both races during the weekend as he was forced to watch the Ducati of his teammate speed off into the distance.
Whilst the current term’s championship has already been settled, Bagnaia still has the goal of finishing the season on the strongest possible foot.
His goal now is to take second place in the MotoGP standings away from Alex Marquez, who was confirmed to be riding a factory Ducati bike from next season.
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