Marco Bezzecchi
The way both Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin handled adversity over the Catalan Grand Prix weekend showed why Aprilia are better off with the Italian next year.
Bagnaia earned praise for handling his crash during the first restart of the Catalan Grand Prix, especially as he immediately went and checked on Johann Zarco.
On top of that, the Italian rider returned to the race during the second restart. Bagnaia eventually finished third in the race, thanks in part to Joan Mir’s 16-second penalty.
Which MotoGP rider has made the best move for 2027 so far?
Bagnaia to Aprilia? Acosta to Ducati? Quartararo to Honda? Let us know!
On the other side of the garage, Jorge Martin didn’t make himself look very good after his crash with Raul Fernandez.
Martin shoved Aprilia chief Paolo Bonora out of frustration. But even with a sincere apology, Martin showed Aprilia why they won’t miss him when they get Francesco Bagnaia.
READ MORE: Raul Fernandez hasn’t liked Jorge Martin for 10 years as Catalan GP spat reignites rivalry
Francesco Bagnaia showed Aprilia he will be a team player with a great attitude
It cannot be understated what Francesco Bagnaia managed to do for Ducati in Barcelona. Despite seemingly injuring his wrist during his crash at the first restart, Bagnaia managed to have his bike fixed and go out to try and earn points for them.
After Ducati’s catastrophic performance the prior weekend at Le Mans, and with them losing Marc Marquez to a shoulder injury, Bagnaia understood how important any points he could score would be for them.
And for his courageous effort and putting the team over his health, Bagnaia managed to earn a third-place finish and brought in 16 points for Ducati.
With Bagnaia’s impending move to Aprilia, officials on the team must be thrilled about landing the Italian rider next year, with the hope that he brings a similar level of dedication to their team.
Not to mention the frustration they may be feeling after Martin’s outburst in their garage, especially after Aprilia expressed a desire to keep Martin despite him being set to join Yamaha next year.
READ MORE: Valentino Rossi wants Ducati to ‘put in the same effort’ as Francesco Bagnaia to revive his career
Should Yamaha be worried about Jorge Martin’s attitude after he shoved his Aprilia team members?
Martin is set to join Yamaha in 2027
Jorge Martin will find frustration at Yamaha if current competitive woes carry into 2027
One of the reasons Martin was so frustrated by his crash with Raul Fernandez was that it cost him an opportunity to take the lead in the championship battle with his teammate, Marco Bezzecchi.
However, Martin could be in for a rude awakening when he joins Yamaha, especially given how much they’ve struggled this season.
Honda-bound rider Fabio Quartararo has not hidden his frustration with Yamaha, as he believes they haven’t done enough to give him a competitive bike.
And for Martin, a former MotoGP world champion who is looking for another title win this year, Yamaha’s competitive crisis continuing when he joins the team would be an absolute disaster.
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