Pecco Bagnaia had an almost perfect weekend at home, using a brilliant start to decisively take the Italian GP to the delight of the Italian public. Mugello, which roared with its performance as in the best years of its teacher Valentino Rossi, witnessed a race of patience and attrition, with the fantastic three of the Bologna factory fighting until the last breath for the podium with a surprise guest in the final stretch of the test. Enea Bastianini, who was the only one capable of taking one more point off the Ducati at the last minute, knocked Marc Márquez off the podium on the penultimate lap and then pulled off a prodigious last lap to snatch second place from Jorge Martín.
The current world champion only missed pole position, and the red tide dominated the stands even above the phosphorescent yellow of his mentor in the premier category, also present in the paddock this Sunday. Bagnaia, curiously dressed in blue in honor of the ‘azzurra’ teams that will compete in the Euro Cup and the Olympic Games this summer, came out to the rhythm of Rock And Roll and he once again imposed his infallible metronome in the long test after doing the same in the sprint of Saturday. In just two corners, the number one went from fifth to first place with a multiple overtake from the outside to the inside that elicited a loud applause from the 80,000 souls present in the stands.
Just like that, he overcame the challenge of starting behind on the grid due to a three-place penalty for disturbing Álex Márquez in training, and his third consecutive win at Mugello put him back on par with the best Rossi, as he already did. with his duel until the last lap with Marc Márquez in Jerez. “Honestly, I would like to understand who the skeptics of Pecco are,” commented the Turin master and legend of the competition. “He has shown that he is the best Ducati rider,” he added in statements to television. Sky.
In the Spanish GP, Bagnaia became the second driver capable of stringing three consecutive victories at the Ángel Nieto circuit after 46, and this Sunday he did the same at home, equaling Jorge Lorenzo’s previous best streak and remembering the best days of his teacher, winner on the track seven times, consecutively, between 2002 and 2008. “I am in love with this hobby, thank you Mugello!” commented the Ducati representative. Without Rossi’s charisma, but increasingly bringing out more character on and off the track, the Italian harangued more than ever to a fan devoted, finally, to his figure.
After the spectacular start, no one coughed at the winner of the race, although everyone drove to the limit, maintaining a prudent but always dangerous distance throughout the 23 laps. The margin of error was practically zero for all of them. The leader of the competition, Martín, knew how to compose himself and maintain an intelligent approach, with a view to the championship, so much so that perhaps he got lost in the last turn, opening the door to the ax blow of the Beast.
Bastianini, the third in contention in the discussions about who should accompany Bagnaia in the official team next year, vindicated himself by beating the two main contenders for the position with two first-class overtakes. Despite its first zero in the format sprint and the surprise in that final corner of the weekend, the Madrid native goes on vacation with 18 points ahead of the table, awaiting Ducati’s final decision.
Márquez, once again among the best, could not replicate the pace of his opponents in the Desmosedici poker, and appeared to suffer some type of mechanical problem in the rear end of his satellite mount. After six consecutive podiums, the best streak of 2024 in the category, the Catalan had to settle for being the best of the rest, just ahead of rookie Pedro Acosta (GasGas), the first non-Ducati bike at the finish line.
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