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Is 'Pecco' Feeling the Pressure?

Writer's picture: Rodrigo FernándezRodrigo Fernández
After winning the opening race in Portugal. The current MotoGP champion fell off his bike in the following two races. Is he feeling the pressure?
Pecco Bagnaia during his DNF on the USA GP in Texas.
Mistakes breed character, Pecco will come stronger, for sure. | Credit: Ducati.

Lucky Strike?

There is no doubt that Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia is a world-class rider. He is the first Italian in 14 years to win a MotoGP championship after the myth and legend, Valentino Rossi. What makes the feat even more impressive is that he did it with an Italian team.


'Pecco' got promoted to Ducati after his 2020 season with Pramac Racing, Ducati's satellite team. He was already a Moto2 world champion with Sky Team VR46, Valentino Rossi's team.


He is well known in the Ducati sphere and has already proved his talent in Moto2. His stay at Pramac was brief, and honestly, nothing to write home about; Bagnaia then got promoted to Ducati Lenovo, the factory's official team.


During his first year in Ducati, he managed to finish in second place in the Riders' Championship. Then in 2022 he became world champion.


Bagnaia's two seasons with Ducati have been incredible, dissipating any doubts that he is a world-class rider. There was a small group of people that were not convinced of Pecco's move to the factory team, however, his results proved them wrong.


Close, but no cigar

Some still think that despite his world championship in 2022, Bagnaia still has to prove he is a consistent rider, and that he usually succumbs to the pressure.


Pecco Bagnaia ahead of Alex Rins, during the USA GP in Austin, Texas.
Pecco has won all of the Sprint Races. | Credit: Ducati.

With his unfortunate recent results, Pecco is being questioned once again. He managed to win the season opener during Portuguese GP with utmost domination, securing a win in the Sprint, and Main Race.


In Argentina, Bagnaia had a fantastic weekend prior to the Sprint Race. He managed to win the Sprint at Termas de Río Hondo, however, during the Main Race on Sunday, he fell off his bike during lap 18 and only managed to finish in 16th place.


Pecco and the team really felt that they had missed a great opportunity for the championship. You had the best bike during the weekend, proving it during the sprint race, only to throw it all away because of a mistake during the main event.


Round 3 came sooner than later, on the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, USA. The venue is characterized by its twisted corners and long straights. It is one of the most technically difficult tracks in the calendar.


Bagnaia started the weekend with a strong statement. He got pole position for both the Sprint and Main Race. He drove tremendously well during the Sprint Race, and secured yet another win. However, during the main event, he fell once again, during lap 7 after leading the race.


Alex Rins ended up winning the race after a sublime ride during the whole Grand Prix. You could see that 'Pecco' was under a lot of pressure from the Spaniard rider. The Ducati bike was struggling while braking and exiting the corners; then Bagnaia fell because he entered a corner too fast.


Cut your losses

It seems that Pecco's issue this season is that he does not capitalize the good weekend he's had. Getting pole, and winning the Sprint Race is an indicative that you have a good bike, and that you have a huge chance of winning the race.


Marco Bezzechi during the USA GP in Austin, Texas.
Marco Bezzechi is the current leader of the Riders' Championship. | Credit: Mooney VR46

Maybe Pecco should settle for solid points, rather than push the bike and himself to the limits during the main race. I know that racers want to win all the time, but championships are about consistency.


Let's take the current championship leader for example, Marco Bezzechi; he has been consistent, and only retired during the Sprint Race of the Portuguese GP. After that, he has managed to score solid points by winning on Argentina, and finishing 6th in Texas.


'Pecco' should see beyond the Grand Prix, and start looking at the Championship. Great riders win championships by being consistent. Ducati knows that the season has just started, and being a few points behind Bezzechi still puts them, and Pecco as favorites to repeat the title.


Perhaps we will start to see Bagnaia ride with a more coherent style, gaining consistency, and more importantly, confidence in himself and his bike. The Desmosedici GP23 is by far the best and most balanced bike on the grid, and a talented rider like Pecco Bagnaia will take advantage of that to win another championship.


Cut your losses; you are not going to win all the races, but solid-point finishes will put you in a great position to win the Riders' Championship.


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