After facing doubts about his form following a series of crashes earlier this year, Francesco Bagnaia responded with a resounding victory at the Spanish GP over the weekend. The Ducati rider had previously suffered five DNFs in 2022 and had to recover from a 91-point deficit to win the championship. This raised concerns about his ability to perform at the highest level. However, Bagnaia batted away questions about pressure and pointed to the number one plate on his Ducati in front of the cameras after his win.
Bagnaia claimed that he did this “for my ego” and not as a message to his critics. He explained that “it’s always too easy to criticise from outside and you don’t know from the inside what happened.” The Italian rider described his Spanish GP weekend as “the best one” of his career, adding that he “really enjoyed this race” and that it could help his team grow together.
Questions Raised About Stewarding Consistency
During the Spanish GP, Bagnaia made an aggressive overtake on KTM’s Jack Miller, for which he was ordered by the FIM stewards to drop one position. However, this decision once again raised questions about the consistency of stewarding in MotoGP. Bagnaia accepted his penalty but called for similar punishments to be dished out to every rider who makes a similar move in the future. He feels that harder incidents have been overlooked in the past, and he wants to see “the same thing every time because if not, it’s not fair.”
Despite the penalty, Bagnaia’s victory at the Spanish GP was a significant moment for the rider and his team. His triumph showed that he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level, despite facing doubts from his critics. It remains to be seen whether Bagnaia can build on this momentum in the coming races and continue to challenge for the championship.
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