This was probably not Pecco Bagnaia's objective, but it will still relieve Carmelo Ezpeleta a little. Under the leadership of Carlo Pernat who is keen to point out that the arrival of sprint races must absolutely be accompanied by salary measures, the debate on the new Grand Prix format has been revived. The columnist expressed his lack of enthusiasm for this new situation, and that is an understatement. But despite his stated certainties, the one who is also the manager of Enea Bastianini still sees certain drivers open to new things. Among them, the World Champion Pecco Bagnaia who brings comfort to the heart of Dorna.
If the battle between Pecco Bagnaia et Enea Bastianini has not yet started on the track, the warm-up is perhaps done behind the scenes with the manager of the last city, Charles Pernat. The latter does not miss an opportunity to give a thumbs up to Dorna's work in his vision of the 2023 season, of which the arrival of the sprint race is the major part.
As World Champion, the official Ducati gives his perception of the facts: “ I think MotoGP has grown a lot in recent years and I think the spectacle he can offer in the race is something incredible. There is certainly more to do. From my point of view, the championship needs to be “rejuvenated” a little. And sprint races are definitely something more in this regard ».
Pecco Bagnaia: “ we spoke very often to Ezpeleta«
Charles Pernat also argued that Dorna had made a decision " instinctive » stupefying the drivers caught off guard, because they were deprived of dialogue on the sprint races. Here too, the analysis of Pecco Bagnaia is more nuanced: “ we have spoken to Ezpeleta and managers very often over the past year to find ideas and attract more audiences. Because from my point of view, MotoGP can really bring a lot » he said on speedweek.
It will be recalled that in addition to the sprint races on Saturday, there will also be a “ Rider Fan Show“, intended to bring fans closer to the champions. However, there remains this question of bonus for additional races which is pending. A subject that Pecco Bagnaia addresses very indirectly by mentioning the much higher emoluments of Formula 1 drivers: “ car manufacturers are much bigger than motorcycle manufacturers, inevitably the sponsors, and everything that goes with it, are different » recalls the pilot of 25 years.
