Let's talk MotoGP, It's now certain: here's why Pecco Bagnaia is the mentally strongest

The first Grand Prix of the season is behind us! And, as has been the practice for some time, Pecco Bagnaia was still the strongest. Yet once again he didn't look dominant after the practice sessions. This did not prevent him from winning in the Sunday race, leaving all his opponents without answers. Let's look back at this weekend in two distinct points.

 

As in 2023

 

Finally, a posteriori, it strongly resembled a round from the end of 2023, with the same dynamic for the same protagonists. Jorge Martin lightning on a lap, with unrivaled striking force – a lightning lap achieved during the first run, rare enough to be highlighted. A Bagnaia in difficulty at the start of the meeting and winner regardless of his initial posture, and a beaten Brad Binder. Without forgetting Aleix Espargaro as an outsider in the Sprint.

It's a bit strange, but as far as the results are concerned, I was subconsciously expecting something a little different especially because of three men; Pedro Acosta, Fabio DiGiannantonio and Marc Marquez. For the first, I especially started to believe in a potential podium when I saw him riding on Friday, with his rescues reminiscent of who-you-know. Yesterday, he gave everything, without worrying about his tires. Logically, he slowly slipped in the rankings two-thirds of the way to go, to finish 9th. I will talk about this in more detail tomorrow. For Fabio Di Giannantonio, I didn't really know what to hope for but he was neither very good nor bad. “Diggia” did not dynamite the weekend as it had done in some of the last rounds, notably in Qatar less than six months ago. A fall in Sprint and a seventh place at the finish, an average performance, as he offered before exploding at the end of 2023.

 

 

For Marc Marquez, it's a little different – he too will be entitled to his article given the wait around the phenomenon. We all agree that he had an excellent weekend, and a very good performance on Sunday.. It's promising. I can't explain it, but I either expected a better result or a fall. Or, at a minimum, to one of these individual exploits of which he has the secret, has more magic, all in all. I'm not saying that he had a bad Grand Prix because that's far from being the case, just that he didn't surprise me. The fact that he goes faster than his brother from the start is not shocking given the difference in talent. The process was intriguing, but the result was quite common.

 

Bagnaia's mind must be studied

 

For me, the big winner of this first meeting is none other than Pecco Bagnaia. Do I really have to repeat, tirelessly, what I hammered home throughout the 2023 season? From now on, it is clear that he is endowed with unparalleled psychological strength. “We work in silence,” he said upon arrival, with his unfailing smile. What's crazy is that after two world titles, one of which he acquired by testing relatively slowly on Friday, he still suggests that he won't be in the game. In the end, he wins.

 

 

By his own account, he found a clever adjustment during the warm-up. I doubt that this will help him in all the rounds, and we will still find him in “difficulty” on Friday. But during the race, he was imperial. The Ducati official left Jorge Martin and Brad Binder no escape. None. We have to go back to the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix to see his personal success acquired in such an authoritarian manner. Once more than a second ahead, he chained fast laps with a regularity that would make Jorge Lorenzo jealous. No mistakes in forty-five minutes of effort, no complaints.

Another point that I wanted to note and which goes with the previous one; rarely, if ever, had his competitors expressed so much praise for him. Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez and Brad Binder all said he was well ahead of the pack in the main race.

 

 

Conclusion

 

“As expected”, Bagnaia cements his place as best rider on the best machine, and took the lead in the general classification from the first event. I rather liked this Grand Prix, even if we have to thank Pedro Acosta for the action on Sunday. The Sprint, on the other hand, was classic, and would have had its place on the 2023 calendar.

From the Portuguese Grand Prix, we will study in detail the performance of a few drivers, so, don’t miss the 20:30 p.m. meeting on paddock-gp!

Tell me what you thought of this Qatar GP in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport