Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia believes Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura is even quicker than title rival Marc Marquez at the moment.
Neither rider is top of the standings at the halfway stage of the season, with factory Aprilia rider Jorge Martin leading the way by 14 points.
But over the last four rounds, Marquez has scored 119 points, Ogura has scored 102 and Martin has only scored 52.
Here’s how we think the MotoGP standings will look at the end of the season. What would you change?
Based on current form, the Trackhouse star could be the rider with the best chance of stopping Marquez from winning the title.
Top MotoGP riders like Francesco Bagnaia are so impressed by Ai Ogura
DAZN journalist Borja Gonzalez reports that, in Bagnaia’s opinion, Ogura looks the strongest on the grid right now. That speaks to the growing admiration for the second-year rider among his rivals, including world champions.
Aprilia once looked in control of the championship but now they risk being upstaged by their own satellite team.
Ogura only won his first premier-class Grand Prix at Assen but has finished in the top four in seven consecutive races, including Sprints. That consistency could be his biggest asset in a tight, error-strewn championship.
Gonzalez said on Hospitality Motociclismo: “[Bagnaia] told me – how did he put it? – ‘Marc is very fast, but Ogura is faster.’ Pecco told me that… He just left it at that – he didn’t elaborate – but I thought, ‘Right, that’s a great soundbite.'”
“There is an undercurrent; I sense a lot of admiration from many riders for what Ogura is doing and how he’s doing it, his riding style. Everyone is surprised by how he does it, how he rides the bike. Martin himself was saying the other day that when riding behind Ogura, he was doing things that he couldn’t do.
“I mentioned earlier that I spoke to Quartararo, and he told me he’s incredibly impressed.”
- READ MORE: Aprilia would never have signed Francesco Bagnaia if they knew how good Ai Ogura really was
In that very same conversation with Quartararo, the Yamaha rider apparently expressed total confidence that Marquez would win his 10th Grand Prix title. He is currently four points behind Ogura and 18 behind Martin.
“He stated quite emphatically that he thought France would beat Spain [in the World Cup semifinal], but then… we were looking at the MotoGP standings.
“I asked, ‘And the MotoGP world championship?’ He told me, “Márquez is going to win the MotoGP world championship.”
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