Hours have passed since the finish of the Malaysian Grand Prix and it now clearly appears that we had every reason to fear the worst at Ducati in a duel between Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini who was not in no way simulated. For what ? Given the sporting stakes, this situation seems incomprehensible. But if we place the cursor on the money promised through an exceptional bonus, everything is explained…
Yes, Pecco Bagnaia had everything to fear from a Enea Bastianini who sincerely wanted to beat him for the gain of victory in Malaysia. Moreover, the leader of championnat and winner at Sepang was never fooled: “ Bastianini is an adversary, only Miller would have done differently » commented the one who is two points from the title before the last meeting of the year in Valencia.
And in fact, bastianini said : " I wanted to pass it inside, but this maneuver would have been too difficult. That's why I went outside and lost time as a result ", describe bastianini about his last trick. Then he makes this admission: “ I saw the sign mentioning Bagnaiai. I still gave my best. Of course I knew I had to be careful because it was a very important race for Ducati. But I really wanted to win. This mention had no impact on my objective ».
bagnaia et bastianini observed each other during almost the entire race and took turns several times at the front, sometimes with difficult maneuvers. The Ducati management team with Gigi Dall'Igna, Paolo ciabatti et Davide Tardozzi was therefore tense. Again and again, the trio could be seen in intensive discussions. The content is not known, but easy to guess: stable orders have been discussed.
And in fact, Davide Tardozzi revealed : " should Bastianini have been less aggressive? You have to ask him. It could have been “softer”, but he felt he could win” Gigi also remembers of Argentina 2016 : he was worried, he asked us if we should intervene in one way or another. We told him no, because we have confidence in our pilots ».
He specifies : " we could have put “P2” on the Bastianini panel, but we didn’t do it ". Given the atmosphere, we are already wondering how 2023 will go… “ I’m not worried,” replies Tardozzi. “They are two strong drivers. We will do everything we can to manage the situation as best as possible. ". And all the better since this “situation” will be different. Because there is a context that explains everything…
Enea Bastianini’s manager explains everything: “ Ducati should guarantee us silver for third place in the Championship even if we finish fourth »
This famous context is detailed by the manager of bastianiniEither Charles Pernat. We read about him on speedweek : " Enea always wants to go back to third place in the World Drivers' Championship. It was his goal in Malalsie and it will be in Valencia in two weeks ". It develops : " in a normal situation, Enea would have tried to overtake on the last lap. Maybe he would have caused a disaster, I don't know. But he didn't take that risk. This is why we are now asking Ducati for a bonus for third place in the World Championship, even if they only finish fourth in the World Championship. That's for sure ! ».
Charles Pernat is very firm on the subject: “ now it's a question of money. In any case, Ducati should guarantee us the money for third place in the World Championship. Because the difference with the rank 4 bonus is considerable. It's not just about the Ducati deal, it's also about sponsors like Alpinestars leather, Red Bull, KYT helmets and smaller financiers. If we don't finish third in the championship because Enea was attentive to Bagnaia here at the finish, we will lose a lot of money ". Close the ban!
MotoGP Malaysia Championship: ranking (19/20)
Credit classification motogp.com
