Francesco Bagnaia was the MotoGP world champion in 2022 and 2023, on both occasions after battles that extended until the last race of the season. This year, the Ducati rider defends the title again, but Andrea Dovizioso believes he may face even greater difficulties.
The former rider told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that Bagnaia has good chances, but also strong rivals – including Marc Márquez, who joins Gresini:
– In my opinion, Pecco has many possibilities to win the championship in the season that will start in March in Qatar. In any case, I think 2024 could be the most difficult year for him. Firstly, because he will encounter his first rivals: riders who have already ridden the Ducati in 2023 and, consequently, will have even more experience and be more competitive. In addition to this, there is the arrival of Marc, someone we all expect to be strong from the very beginning and who will be able to constantly fight for the front positions.
Nevertheless, Dovizioso believes that Bagnaia will rise to the challenges: ‘It is obvious that all of this does not make things easier for Bagnaia, but I would say that at this point he has already shown that he is mature and prepared to face any kind of challenge. Last year he was able to extract the maximum, even the best, from his cards, almost always finding the appropriate solutions, sometimes in extremis […]. And this ability of his, the way he works that he has now consolidated with his team, the fact that he knows practically everything, for better or for worse, about Ducati, represent a significant strength’.
