English
Italiano
Pecco Bagnaia took a beating in the opening round of the 2025 MotoGP season. Not that his two third-place finishes in the Sprint Race and the race weren't good, but the fact that he didn't even get half a chance to attack his new teammate, Marc Marquez, sounded in his head as a warning sign for the future and how the championship may unravel.
As soon as he returned to the pit Sunday afternoon at the end of the Buriram GP, the Piedmontese rider immediately voiced his doubts, seeking answers for hypothetical technical and tire errors. This reaction demonstrates how much he suffered psychologically because of the champion from Cervera's domination. So, to prevent both a performance and a mental breakdown, the indications given by his mentor, Valentino Rossi, could prove to be helpful. However, according to the current commentor for TNT Sports, Sylvain Guintoli, even the Doctor won't be able to do much.
"I don't know how much Valentino can help him. Pecco knows what he has to do and is aware of his potential. In his place, I'd be worried. He knows that Marc, in 2024, was able to fight with an inferior bike. Remember the last lap in Jerez last year? At that time, he was riding a year-old bike for a private team. The Italian is under pressure because he knows he'll have a difficult task. As a rider, it's certainly a bad situation. It's not good to have Marc Marquez as a pit neighbor, especially because he can have access to the same information as you," he said.
But not everything has been decided for the French rider, yet. "In my opinion, Bagnaia hasn't demonstrated everything of himself, and I think this year could be the one to bring him out," he continued in his reasoning. "He knows how talented Marc is, how fast he is, and how strong he is mentally. In any case, even if it's going to be an arduous world championship, when the pressure is at the max, he flourishes."
Neil Hodgson agrees with what he said, convinced that the two-time championship winner hasn't yet reached his peak as an athlete. "He's in a learning and growing phase. I think we'll have some surprises and some great races. Both will try to establish themselves as number one, and others will release the brakes. Pecco is brilliant and won't give an inch to his teammate. From qualifying to GP, he'll have to prove that he's perfect. We've already seen him do it several times, and it's the only weapon he has to be able to beat the Iberian," he concluded.
