English
Italiano
When we are children, there are those of us who want to be policemen and those who want to be firemen. Then you grow up and everyone chooses what they want to do in life. Not everyone, however: there are some who remain with the idea of being a little bit of a policeman and a little bit of a fireman.
However, this is not our job; we are journalists, which does not mean that we slavishly accumulate quotes and re-propose them to our readers. Words have meaning, and that's the job: to convey the true meaning of words, of sentences.
We know: sometimes words escape us, heck they really do escape us, spoken language is not written language, but that is precisely why it is, perhaps, even more important.
The problem is not to be ashamed of it. Don't go looking for a denial, a friendly shoulder: I really didn't mean that, I meant, in short, something different. And off it goes.
We don't like this trend. We don't like press offices with the red cross symbol. These guys are going 350 kilometers per hour, they are brave, but they also have fears. Incredibly, they are more afraid of words than a highside. I admire them. Incredibly so. But I admired much more Marco Lucchinelli, Kenny Roberts, or Eddie Lawson, who wouldn't let certain colleagues - some of whom are still around - into his motorhome because they didn't understand what was going on around them. I liked the fact that Eddie, when he was having an off-day, wouldn't even let the manager of Phillip Morris in. Marco, Kenny, Eddie: they all had balls.
But let's cut to the chase.
In an interview with TNT Sport, picked up by Crash, also picked up by us, Francesco Bagnaia said, "I think that what Ducati was trying to create was this situation (of having Bagnaia and Marquez in the box, ed.) because last year we lost the championship because I was committing mistakes and Ducati wants to win the championship with bike, team and riders, I believe that with this team they will get this result."
He means: Ducati took Marc Márquez because, having realized that there was a risk of losing the world championship because of my mistakes, and because they want to win the championship with bike, team and riders, with me and Marquez in the same team they will achieve this result.
Then he added, "When you are stronger and you are winning 18 races in a single season with the sprints and then losing the championship, it's something strange to explain. And I'm the only one who lost it because I was always there, always fighting for the win, and many times I crashed or we had problems when I was leading or fighting for top positions. So, it will be long to accept because I know that it's 100% my fault."
Which translated means: I can't blame anyone if Ducati made the above decision - i.e. taking a second top rider - it will take me a long time to accept it because I know it is solely my fault."
Personally, I find nothing strange or sinful in these statements. On the contrary, it is the usual Bagnaia, thoughtful, honest. And if you make a headline "My mistakes are to blame if Marquez is in the official Ducati team" - we did - you are doing nothing else but providing an exegesis of the sources. Let us explain, for the uneducated: The content of the word (or, more generally, of any medium of communication or expression), as it can be translated into concepts, notions, references.
Concepts, references. There are some in those two sentences of Pecco Bagnaia. And the meaning, which is what counts, leaves no doubt.
But he didn't say it! Is the desperate cry of the fireman on duty, who is also a bit of a policeman: he is mad at the Italian press that are being the bad guys with Pecco. Too bad the meaning of the words, in the sense of what he said, is unquestionably that.
But all right, Pecco, so what's the problem? Admitting that Ducati wanted to cover its own backside by building a team with two top-notch champs so as to secure the world championship riders, manufacturers, team, seems to us a truism. And it is equally obvious that not doing so would have been a mistake, because to err is human, to persevere diabolical.
Of course, if the outcome of the 2024 world championship had gone differently, if all those mistakes had not been made...but already at Mugello in Borgo Panigale they had some indication: Martin was leading the world championship after seven Grands Prix with four zeros from the Turin rider. Sure, the championship was still long, but let's write a truism by saying that Gigi Dall'Igna is what he is because he has some ability to look ahead.
Look ahead, Pecco. You are a great rider, and you finally have a chance to prove it beyond any reasonable doubt. Whatever way this championship goes. You don't need firemen. Nor do you need words thrown to the wind. Then if you explain to us instead what was the meaning of what you said, that is, that you did not mean that because of your mistakes Ducati chose to double the talent to avoid a repeat of 2024, we would listen with interest to what you have to say.
