MotoGP, Xaus: "Bagnaia reminds me of Rossi. Martin and Marquez are similar."

Can a rider's fitness affect the way he or she rides? According to Ruben Xaus, it can. Speaking on Jorge Lorenzo Duralavita 's podcast, the Spaniard tried to highlight the differences between the three main protagonists of the 2024 MotoGP season.

"Bagnaia compared to Martin and Marquez is less strong physically, but he is not inferior to them in terms of training in long races, so in the middle of the championship he can make the leap forward. In my opinion he is similar to Valentino Rossi, while Jorge and Marc are closer in approach as both are aggressive. As far as the corners are concerned, from the first to the last lap, the Italian's bike moves little, while the bikes of the other two get out of shape," he said.

Speaking of the Doctor, for the 46-year-old his role would prove crucial to the championship of the rider from Chivasso as he is a member of his Academy. "He acts to take pressure off Pecco's shoulders and his guys and transfer it to himself. He tries to deflect attention so that they are tranquil," he continued in his reflections.

Different and more complex is the situation Martin is experiencing. "He is slowly adapting to the GP24, he is getting to know it and in fact he is faster. It's all about tenths. Sometimes you fight for a thousandth, you think you've spotted the limit of a corner, but then you have to go through it faster. A MotoGP rider is able to go further for all the laps of a race. Having said that, in my opinion the Spaniard has to take a breather for a moment, because his direct rival is in a state of grace, Bastianini is there because he can count on a bike that works and because he has pressure on him and Marc wants to give his best."

Finally, on the subject of the ace from Cervera , he instead said, "Too bad he finishes third or fourth, so it doesn't suit him to be aggressive. He knows he has the best bike in the World Championship along with Bagnaia. Better that he learn from him and intercept the flaws of the Desmosedici rather than take risks. In the last few rounds he should have been more cautious in my opinion. In Austria he didn't have the pace to stay with the reigning world champion and he knew it."