He left Argentina by taking up the stanzas of a famous song by Luciano Ligabue, namely "Leggero," which reads, "In the best suit, on his head a little sunshine and in his mouth a song." Only he knows the deeper meaning of the post that appeared on his social pages.
We, on the other hand, can only define the lyrics of the famous singer-songwriter as a kind of venting after being under so much pressure. That is, the fact of wanting to break away from the heaviness of life after having borne worries and fatigue.
That said, let's get right to it: the 2025 version of Bagnaia did not start the season according to expectations. In just two rounds Marc Marquez has already scorched the earth behind him and Pecco appeared helpless, defenseless, without having the slightest chance to try to respond to his opponent. That confrontation that everyone expected between the two at the moment has been lacking, since on the track Bagnaia has always viewed Magic Marc with binoculars.
Bagnaia has appeared stiff on the bike and at the same time nervous, both inside and outside the box. His post-GP Buriram declaration to Dall'Igna certainly did not escape notice: "I can't be happy, but now I want to understand what happened.... What am I referring to? The tyre." A comment that represented all the discomfort of the rider from Piedmont, who was immediately put back into line by Gigi in the post-race at Termas de Rio Hondo: "This time there was no problem with the tyres, I just want to emphasize that." Dall'Igna wanted to clear the field of all doubts and controversy, effectively laying bare his rider and his limitations.
As mentioned, this 2025 has not started in the right direction for Bagnaia, who on this occasion finds himself in a completely different position than in the past. On the track he has to chase, and in the box the feeling is that he is no longer carried on the palm of one hand as in the past, thanks to the arrival of his new teammate. In all this there is no lack of tension, pressure, which inevitably leads to an absence of levity.
And so the questions follow one another: what to do? How to get out of this vortex? How to regain that pleasure in riding that is suddenly lacking?
Certainly finding yourself on the other side of the pit box a rider like Marc Marquez is the worst thing that can happen. So says the history of his opponents, called upon to reckon with someone who in his career has never taken prisoners. In his Honda days he took out Stoner, then led Pedrosa to retirement first and Lorenzo later. So #93 seems to be a kind of tsunami, capable of knocking down everything in front of him.
In confronting Magic Marc, the first point to start from is perhaps to accept the current reality, that is, to admit with sincerity the current superiority of one's opponent, irrespective of tyres or no tyres. A somewhat painful thing for Bagnaia to do, but one that at the same time leads to an awareness of the situation one is experiencing, freeing oneself from an initial burden.
More than Marc Marquez, however, there is another opponent to contend with. In this regard, Timothy Gallwey's Handbook, "The Inner Game of Tennis," described by Bill Gates as a revolutionary manual, useful to apply in everyday life as well as on the court, seems to fall into place.
Every sportman, every person, plays two games at the same time, on the court and in life: one against the opponent and the other against a part of oneself that is engaged in incessant analysis, judgment and self-criticism that creates doubt, insecurity and a decline in concentration. In fact, Gallwey defines "Self 1" as the one that gives directions and "Self 2" as the one that puts them into practice. The goal is to arrive at a balance and harmony between these two elements, although most of the time this is not the case.
In the game of tennis, just to give an example, when one tries to want to perfect a stroke at all costs, in addition to focusing excessively on the movement, one tends to stiffen up, failing then to have the desired effect and lacking naturalness. This all gives rise to anger and discouragement. A bit like what is happening to Pecco Bagnaia, stiff and not natural riding this Ducati GP24.9, unlike an extremely comfortable Marc Marquez.
Perhaps, however, a first step toward finding the "lightness" that has been lacking until now, Pecco has already taken. He probably does not fully realize it, but a first sign was there. What is it? The choice to backtrack and return to the Ducati GP24 without upgrades.
Whether it will be a winning decision or not we will find out in the coming races, but perhaps this marks a first turning point for Pecco in 2025 with a bitter aftertaste. That of a Bagnaia who wants to choose his own path, without watching and living at the mercy of what happens on the other side of the box, thus trying to dampen pressures and tensions that have conditioned him until now, thus starting over from himself. A concept that perfectly echoes what Alberto Vergani told us yesterday, "Bagnaia has to not give a damn about Marquez, even if he wins all the races. He just has to think about himself, without being overcome by discouragement."
A hopefully light-hearted Bagnaia: in his best suit, on his head a little sunshine and in his mouth a song, hoping that's how it is! Just like in Luciano Ligabue's song... Maybe, to beat Marquez, you just need lightness, the same lightness that Marc himself is showing...