The new MotoGP season is about to begin, and one of the natural contenders for the title is Francesco Bagnaia – who has been champion for the past two years. Jorge Lorenzo believes that the Ducati rider is the favorite, but not without strong opposition.
The former rider analyzed the Italian’s characteristics in an interview with the official MotoGP website: ‘I think Pecco is the kind of rider who is like a robot, similar to what I was when I was competing. They need everything to be perfect and when they feel strong, they are unbeatable. I believe that these two world titles he won have made him believe much more in himself and now his confidence is sky-high‘.
Lorenzo believes that Bagnaia is highly confident and considers that he had the right strategy in the tests: ‘He has a very strong confidence in himself, he knows the bike perfectly because since 2019 it has been five years with the same bike. He has made the evolution in recent years of the new Ducati – Ducati takes his notes to create the bike with his riding style, so this is very important. But especially, Pecco needs to feel that he is important in the team, to feel that he has everything in a perfect situation, and then he demonstrates it on the track. That’s what he did in the preseason: showing his opponents that he is still the best, still the number one, making them lower their heads and not show themselves or take away his confidence. So, I believe the strategy was perfect, but now it’s time to compete‘.
The three-time world champion of the premier category spoke after Bagnaia’s potential opponents, emphasizing, however, that he sees him as the clear favorite: ‘We can see Jorge Martín, who takes pole position and starts very well at the beginning of the races. We can see Marc Márquez, who never gives up and will always try to be in front because he is like a bulldog. And surely Enea Bastianini is feeling better with this new 2024 bike than with the 2023 one. It is certain that KTM will be there, Aprilia, so many unknowns that need to be discovered. But of course, Pecco is the favorite, I believe’.
