Francesco Bagnaia faces a tough challenge at the MotoGP Solidarity GP of Barcelona to claim the championship: he needs to make up a 24-point deficit to Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati).
However, Bagnaia admitted he doesn’t feel as much pressure as he would if the roles were reversed.
The Ducati rider reiterated that he believes his title hopes depend on mistakes by Martín: ‘Percentages in this world normally don’t work. But Jorge absolutely has to do something wrong to make me win [the title]. Because even if I win [the races], he still has a big margin, so he will have to do something wrong’.
Bagnaia acknowledged that Martín, despite the pressure, is handling the situation well: ‘In 2022, that was my first title and I arrived at the last race with a 23-point gap without the Sprint. So, my goal was to finish 14th, and I was really under pressure. I ended up the race in ninth, and it’s very difficult to manage. I think he did a good job because he finished fifth. He almost crashed twice, but he stayed on track, so I think he did a good job. He tested many tyres, and it’s normal to be under pressure when you are fighting for a title’.
While Bagnaia considers his current position advantageous, he admitted he envies Martín’s situation: ‘In my situation, I just have to win, and it’s similar to 2022 when I was recovering 91 points. When you are in that situation, where you have to win, it’s easier to stay calm because it’s the only way. Right now, I feel better, but I’m jealous and I would like to be in his situation’.
