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Do so many different winners mean more spectacle? The public is divided on this matter because while it is true that uncertainty creates a lot of excitement, too many different names risk confusing the public.
The message that arrives may be, in fact: if everyone can win, you don't have to be a champion to do that. And fans tend to love (or hate) serial winners.
But how have things gone this year with just two races left before the end of the championship?
There have been 7 winners: Bagnaia (6 wins, 9 podiums), Quartararo (3-7), Aleix Espargarò (1-6), Bastianini (4-5), Miller (1-7), Rins (1-2 ) and Oliveira (2-2). Too many, too few?
Let's say that the number is in the same bubble as that of previous years. To see it go down we have to go back to 2019, when only 5 riders won with Marquez, 10 wins, Dovizioso, Vinales, Rins and Petrucci.
Of course, the important thing is that there are hard-fought races, but as Giacomo Agostini said to 'La Repubblica': "now we need a character: someone who wins continuously, who conquers and makes the fans dream. Because if every year there is a different champion - first Mir, then Quartararo, who knows now - people will begin to think that anyone can win in MotoGP: and if winning becomes simple, it loses its appeal. "
It's not just anyone saying it: these are the words of King Ago, the most successful rider ever and they are true. Above all because current motorcycle racing does not enjoy the coverage of the golden days, so it can happen that new names emerge out of nowhere and the man in the street, not super-enthusiasts, begins to wonder: who is this guy?
It should also be added that we need the protagonist, the man to beat and the deuteragonist, his rival. This figure, introduced by Aeschylus, is an actor in ancient Greek theatre who plays the second most important role, after that of the protagonist. A fundamental position in the narrative because the viewer can identify with the role of the challenger. Anticipation is created on the final outcome of the story. Obviously there is also room for the third wheel - like this year Aleix Espargarò in the scrap between Bagnaia and Quartararo - but we must be careful not to introduce too many actors which would water down the story.
This is why, again Giacomo, says: “Marquez had another good race, but at the finish he was destroyed by fatigue: I hope he will get back to the same level as before his injury, but I don't know if it will be possible. On the other hand, I am sure of one thing: we need a star "
A star who, for the moment, has not yet been born: between the crash that eliminated the 8-time world champion from the competition, to his return on alternating current in recent years, Joan Mir, with one victory to his name and Fabio Quartararo, definitely more convincing, with five have won the world championship. This year Bagnaia has recently powered to the top of the championship with six wins, a number that would give full dignity to his title.
It is also true that the world of two wheels, after the retirement of Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and the injury of Marquez, is anxiously waiting for a clash at the top between champion riders. An all-out one-against-one scrap, which we haven't really seen in recent years.
However, the times seem to be ripe. Little champions grow. After the earthquake of top-level retirements, the pandemic and the absence of a champion to beat, 2023 could be the right year for the return of the King. Whoever that might be.
