MotoGP, Tardozzi's admission: "Martin has managed the championship better than we did."

The word cannot be spoken until the maths decree the champion, but undountedly it would almost take a miracle for Bagnaia to continue wearing the number 1 plate on the fairing of his Ducati next year. It wasn't enough for Pecco to win at Sepang, with Martin right behind him, he only gained a handful of points and was 24 points away from his rival.

"We witnessed the clash of two champions. Jorge and Pecco put on an incredible show and made it clear that they are two champions. Whoever wins the title, they absolutely deserve it," Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi commented to AS.

His rider in this 2024 season might have won a lot, but he has also made a lot of mistakes.

"Pecco is strong, unfortunately he has made too many mistakes this year, with too many crashes in the races. This says two things: one is that Pecco is very fast, but also that Jorge is a champion. Congratulations to Jorge, who has managed the championship better than we have," acknowledged Tardozzi.

In Barcelona, Bagnaia will have to finish ahead of Martin in the Sprint to keep the championship open until the last race.

"The goal is to take the championship as far as possible, to be able to win both races," concluded the manager of the Rossa.