Our Carletto Pernat comments on the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, which saw Marc Marquez win his ninth world title, going alongside Valentino Rossi in this prestigious tally. The Spaniard was perfect, never overdoing it by simply thinking about bringing home the title by completing one of the most resounding returns to the top in the history of the sport. The great Ducati party was then completed by a Pecco Bagnaia finally at his best, capable of dominating the Sprint and the Grand Prix and opening up a future for the Rosse that is nothing short of splendid. This was Carletto's comment as always in front of some excellent Prosecco DOC.
"Courses and historical recourses, said Gian Battista Vico. In 2007 Ducati won its first MotoGP world championship with Casey Stoner, here in Japan, right in Motegi. The grand prix that consecrated it was the one won by Loris Capirossi. Things are repeating themselves: world championship won by Ducati with Marc Márquez and grand prix won big by Pecco Bagnaia. It is one of Marc's many records: to close the world championship with five races to go is incredible, considering that today there is one more race, the Sprint Race on Saturday.
Márquez remains in history not only for the titles he won, but for how he won this one. He went to hell, he was there a lot, he got burned in hell. I don't know how he did it mentally, with what courage and with what strength he managed to pull himself up. Let's remember everything that happened: the injuries, the operations, the comebacks. He put himself in extreme conditions, he said "it was all or nothing." I don't know how he got it all, but a man who reacts like that, under those conditions, deserves applause. This is a world of his head.
He said that here, in Motegi, he had a boulder on his shoulders. When he crossed the finish line, he saw again everything that had happened behind him: bad, very bad things, almost impossible to fix. He did it, and he is a phenomenon. Worlds he will win more, because today he is the strongest of them all. And not just because of the way he rides or the bike he has, but also because of the way he has proven himself as a man. Because he said, "I made a mistake." It is difficult for a champion to admit that. He confessed that he came back too soon after the crashes. This is an even greater proof of strength, because it shows that he is human.
A big round of applause also to Pecco Bagnaia. We owe him some apologies, I for one, because I was convinced it was just a psychological problem. In part it was: having Márquez close by, having him as a teammate, someone who has shredded almost every teammate he's ever had, made it almost impossible to resist. But there were also technical reasons. In Japan they basically gave him the 2024 bike. It was little, but it was what he was looking for and what he could not develop. With Márquez close everything that is easy becomes difficult and what is difficult becomes almost impossible.
I think Bagnaia went through the worst moment of his career and life. He overcame it and now I hope the next five grands prix will entertain us, like in a mini world championship: a Bagnaia in this condition who can play with Márquez, a Bezzecchi more in place and less unlucky. In my opinion a small world championship we can still create, just to give an idea, because otherwise the real world championship, thanks to Márquez but especially for him, is already over very, very soon."