The 2017 world champion and vice-champion, Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi, left for MotoGP, the way now seems clear for those who shone alongside them throughout last season: Miguel Oliveira, Álex Márquez, Francesco Bagnaia , but also Mattia Pasini and Brad Binder.
Before the championship resumes, we invite you to learn a little more about these drivers by showing you their journey. (Portraits in five parts)
Francesco Bagnaia
Arriving in Moto2 in 2017, Francesco Bagnaia had an incredible first season, bringing all his opponents into agreement, starting with the title contenders he faced throughout the year on the track. After a year of experience, he could do big things in 2018.
He was born in Turin on January 14, 1997 into a family passionate about two-wheelers. Thanks to his father and uncle who introduced him to it at a very young age, he took his first steps on a motorcycle at just six years old.
Three years later he set foot on the asphalt of the regional mini motorcycle championships and began to win titles which he accumulated from 2006 to 2008.
In 2009 he won the title of European MiniGP 50cc champion and finished second in the Italian Championship in the same category. The following year he finished second in the PreGP 125cc Mediterranean Championship.
Pecco (nickname inherited from his sister's difficulty pronouncing her first name when she was little) arrived in the CEV (Spanish Speed Championship) within Emilio Alzamora's Monlau Competición team in 2011. Pole man from his fourth race and winner in the fifth, he finished third and allowed Italy to shine like they had never been able to do before in this championship. He repeated his feat in 2012 by once again finishing in third place on the podium in the general classification.
His excellent results allowed him to enter the Moto3 world championship in 2013 with the San Carlo Italia team. His first season was quite complicated and he scored no points. In 2014, he moved to the Sky Racing Team VR46 and achieved five top ten finishes during the season, including a very good fourth place at Le Mans. The VR46 Riders Academy of which he has been a part for a year allows him to join the MAPFRE Aspar Team for 2015.
Riding his Mahindra, Francesco had an excellent season, taking the first podium of his career at Le Mans and placing four other times in the top 10, making him the Indian manufacturer's best driver.
With his experience with motorcycling, Pecco revealed all his talent in 2016. He won his first victory at Assen, won again in Malaysia and reached the podium four times, giving Mahindra its best season in the World Cup. The Aspar team, also involved in MotoGP, decided to reward him by allowing him to ride a Ducati Desmosedici GP14.2 at the end of season tests in Valencia.
After such an exceptional year, Bagnaia naturally arrived in Moto2 in 2017 where he found the Sky Racing Team VR46. Four podiums and a fifth place in the championship later, he was named Rookie of the category. Having finished just behind the title contenders, we say to ourselves that he has all the cards to be part of it in 2018. A year to learn, a year to win?
Previously: portraits of Miguel Oliveira et Alex Marquez.
To follow: the portraits of the two other contenders for the Moto2 title, Mattia Pasini and Brad Binder.
