For the first time since their collision, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia will meet once more at the Circuit of the Americas.
In a fight for fifth place in the most recent Portuguese MotoGP, Bagnaia easily defeated Marquez.
Instead, they found themselves in the gravel and meaningless, which made it possible for Jorge Martin to win the championship and escape Portimao.
Even though it was a racing event, Marquez and Bagnaia’s collision marks the first managerial test for Ducati this year.
It was inevitable that a celebrity such as Marquez joining the Ducati team would lead to some conflict with championship opponents.
In his post-race debrief, Gigi Dall’Igna took great care to avoid placing any responsibility on either rider.
What private conversations did they have with Bagnaia and Marquez to prevent a recurrence of this incident? Have any of them spoken at all?
They won’t want to see their two key men in the gravel once more, for sure.
Marquez and Bagnaia denied having any animosity toward one another.
“Our relationship with Pecco is good,” Marquez remarked. “No issue.
He is aware of his actions. He is aware of his error.
“I acknowledge that these incidents do occur in races.”
Bagnaia maintained that it was unlucky, saying, “It’s something that, unfortunately, can happen.”
MARQUEZ STARTS AT HIS FAVORITE TRACK ON A DUCATI CRASH MOTOGP PODCAST DOWNLOAD HERE
At the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, Marquez has seven victories.
He makes his debut appearance on a Ducati this year.
After two strong rounds, many in the paddock think this weekend will determine whether Marquez is a serious title candidate.
Gresini released images of Marquez as “The Martian,” from Matt Damon’s film, in anticipation of Texas.
He will face fierce competition on this course, though, despite his extraterrestrial abilities.
In 2022, Enea Bastianini won for Gresini in Texas. She has been quietly regaining form this year.
Alex Rins of LCR Honda defeated Luca Marini of VR46 to win last year, raising the potential of an unexpected outcome.
Marquez last triumphed in a MotoGP event at Misano in October 2021.
Journalist Robert Jones stated, “He has to be eyeing a win,” on the Crash MotoGP podcast.
“Now that a sprint has been added, Marquez would disappoint COTA if he didn’t win at least one of the races.”
“Everything is there for Marc to do well,” Peter McLaren continued. We’ll need to qualify.
For everyone this weekend, but especially for Marc, preventing issues with front tire pressure will be crucial.
When he manages to reach the front first? You wouldn’t assume he would reach the front and then vanish!