They are not the only protagonists on the grid, nor will the championship be an exclusive affair between the two of them. But many of the spotlights are already on them, in Francesco Bagnaiaworld champion of MotoGPY enea bastianiniaspiring and recently signed as an official pilot by ducati. Both assure and repeat that their relationship is excellent, they have known each other for a long time. “We have struggled a lot with pocket bike, then with MiniGP, in Moto3, MotoGP and now he is the fastest rider in the world”, explains Bastianini. They and the team are clear that the best thing is that this does not change. He didn’t do it last season, in which the winning momentum of The beast took him up about melee with sin which in turn demonstrated that factory orders, not equipment, the first ran for Gresini and the second for the officer of the Lenovoare not styled in Borgo Panigale.
There will be no startup either in this World Cup 2023 that it is about to start, but both Ducati and the riders make an effort to convey that the relationship is excellent, and the competition is maximum. Both Bagnaia and Bastianini are peppered with questions about each other. “He’s a bastard,” he said sin with great humor when asked for a description of the ’23′. A statement that taken out of context would be covered in half the world but that in reality made clear the good harmony that exists between the two, since the occurrence of the Turin caused the laughter of the Riminiwho replied “he is world champion, I am not”.
The little frictions that could have arisen at the end of last season have been left behind and now their mission is to work hand in hand, for the good of the team and themselves. A good atmosphere facilitates the objective, which is none other than to repeat successes, the Triple Crown: team, factory and driver. Who of the two? Well, time, or rather, the stopwatch will tell. Both point to each other as one of the great rivals they will have and both want to win and not lose against the other. But with respect. And in Ducati they rule out problems: “Despite what I read in the newspapers, I think that sin and Enea will have no problem. I saw them work very well during the test in Valencia, they have breakfast together and talk. I think their relationship is perfect. The objective is the same, there will be competition between the two, the same as in 2022, but that is what we want, we will see who is the best, ”she explains in Madonna of Campiglio to the media Davide TardozziDucati team manager.
It is not untrue, since both have shared a hotel, breakfast and table and tablecloth during their stay in the Dolomites. They’ve joked, skied together, shared confidences and even had advice on how to drive on a frozen lake. The image clashes with that desire that there be a derby at Ducati. That there will be because both Bagnaia and Bastianini have one goal: to win. “People want dualism, but the relationship is very good, we talked. It will be frustrating if Enea beats me, but the same with everyone”, says Bagnaia to settle the issue. “For me it will be a pleasure to try to beat him, but I will not be more aggressive. My way of relating to him will be the same,” he says. The beast. A very competitive year is coming up and the derby, for the moment, is white glove.
