The mystery deepens. "The situation isn't easy," admits Bagnaia, winner of the Sprint race at Sepang, who continues, "We need to understand what's happening; we're trying something new. Congratulations to the team, because we've rediscovered our feeling. In Japan it was excellent, here a little less so, but for the first time we've understood the situation."
We hope so. But tell us, Pecco, what these changes are, because in all these years we've never seen a rider tackle the rollercoaster of performance like you are. Of course, as Gigi Dall’Igna said in our GPOne to One the other day, you and Ducati aren't obliged to give us the details, but it would be nice to know. Especially for those of us who, irrespective of the sporting aspect, also love to follow the technical one.
OK, we understand that Marc Marquez rides above the problems, as was said of Kevin Schwantz, but the mystery surrounding you remains. Anyway, for today, hats off to you, a great race. And let's hope it continues like this, since thanks to the Sprint you've regained third place in the championship over Bezzecchi, who was only 7th. Even if only by one point.
We've never liked report cards, but we give you a 10. We'll wait for the Grand Prix for full marks.
We'll give full marks right away to Alex Marquez, who in the Sepang Sprint definitively secured second place in the championship behind his brother. With a 102-point advantage over Bagnaia, even if Pecco wins every race between now and Valencia, he could score 99 points at most. So, a great performance from him and from the Gresini team, which is by all accounts the best team in the championship behind the factory team. With a 149-point lead over VR46, it's now uncatchable.
A full eight also goes to Fermin Aldeguer, third in the Malaysian Sprint (then demoted to seventh place for incorrect tyre pressure, ed.) and best rookie of the year. Winner of a Grand Prix. OK, he's on a Ducati, and it's not like he had any real competition on equal terms. Ai Ogura had a good start to the championship, but stopped there. Fermin lacks a bit of consistency. Will he find it? Let's hope so.
Pedro Acosta, considering he rides a KTM that's fast on the straight but eats up tyres, gets an eight and a half. He's fifth in the world championship behind Bezzecchi, but Aprilia hasn't suffered the vicissitudes of the Mattighofen manufacturer. Like many, we'd like to see him on a more consistent machine. I think he'll be the 'hot property' for 2027; shall we have a bet?
Can the same be said about Bez? Aprilia has undoubtedly made enormous progress, but not on all tracks. This undoubtedly disadvantages Marco, who continues his battle with Bagnaia for third place in the championship. So, an eight and a half for the championship, undoubtedly. He's not always incisive in the race, but is that entirely down to him? Today he started 14th, so he can't complain.
As for Morbidelli and Quartararo, who finished ahead of him in the Sprint but are behind him in the championship, it's extremely difficult to judge. Personally, I think Fabio is one of the best talents in the world championship (in 2027, Yamaha will struggle to hold on to him). With the right bike, he'd always be in the podium zone. What mark should we give him? A nine for effort? And Morbido? We expect a little more from him in terms of consistency.
It's true, today he was just over six seconds behind, but he's on the exact same bike as Alex Marquez. This makes us think. Can we not judge him? We'd also like to hold off on his teammate, Fabio di Giannantonio, who leads him by three points in the championship. They're both excellent riders, but terribly inconsistent. Oh God, this year Pecco has beaten them all in terms of unpredictability. But there's a real mystery to be solved there!
And here we stop. One Sprint doesn't make a summer, but it's a good sign heading into the Grand Prix, or at least that's how it's always been this year. Will we see another Japanese Grand Prix with Bagnaia uncatchable? It's likely. That's what we don't like about Sprints: it ruins the anticipation for the GP. It's a kind of dress rehearsal, and it completely erases the hype surrounding pole position, but the world moves on, and we've come to terms with it.