While the aroma of coffee filled the atmosphere in the Ducati truck, positioned at the rear entrance to the team's official box, Davide Tardozzi, sports director of Ducati Lenovo, spoke with AS. Francesco Bagnaia had just won his fourth consecutive victory at the Sachsenring. Although Tardozzi regretted Jorge Martin's misfortune, he praised the relentless pressure exerted by his driver. In addition, although Marc Marquez is not yet in his box, he highlighted the performance of the eight-time champion, who once again made an impressive comeback from thirteenth to second place, despite greater difficulties than at Le Mans.
Asked about the nature of the victory of bagnaia materializing the luck of the champion or the result of perseverance, Davide Tardozzi replied, more relaxed than usual: “ Pecco was very brave to put the pressure on until the end, because here Jorge was incredibly fast, but he made a mistake. He made a mistake because Pecco kept putting pressure on him. He did it tenth by tenth until he reached a disadvantage of 0,5 seconds. When you have a driver following you so closely, problems start because you know things can happen. Jorge pushed too hard and made a mistake. Too bad, because he deserved to finish on the podium, whether first or second, but that's the race »
As for Bagnaia's return to the top of the rankings, Tardozzi downplayed the importance of this event: “ the important thing is to score points and reach the finish line. It will once again be a championship in which Jorge and Pecco will fight to the end. They are the fastest and the best. There are over 400 points left to distribute. The championship is very long and nothing ends in Germany or in the next race. I think everything will be decided in Valencia this year »
Davide Tardozzi: “ I think that at the moment, Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia have something more than Marc Marquez »
When he was questioned about Marc Marquez, Davide Tardozzi clarified on the non-mention of his name in his prediction for the supreme title: “ Marquez… Yes, yes, he could also be in the race. I think right now Jorge and Pecco have something more than Marc, but if Marc is going to be part of the official team in 2025, it's because we believe in him ».
He adds : " it is clear that at this moment he suffers from a lack of experience with motorcycles and there were things that didn't go well for him, but if you don't respect Marc Maquez, it's because you don't know the bike. I appreciated his return. With the problems he had on Friday and Saturday, and with this fall, to do the race he did is something that is only within the reach of champions. This is not up for debate. Anyone who speaks badly about Marc Marquez doesn't know the bike »
In short, Davide Tardozzi expressed great pride in bagnaia while recognizing the potential and determination of Marquez, saying the championship is far from being decided with a Martin whose intrinsic velocity makes him a permanent danger.
General classification after nine Grands Prix:
Ranking credits motogp.com
