It’s no secret that Valentino Rossi and Pecco Bagnaia have a strong friendship, largely due to the time they spent together at the former rider’s Academy. Il Dottore was actually a strong “ally” of #1, and didn’t miss the opportunity to give valuable advice to the Ducati rider.
After securing the title, Bagnaia spoke about some of the conversations he had with Rossi, right after the Sprint race on Saturday: ‘Vale asked me several times on Saturday why I chose the medium tire [for the Sprint] and I was asking myself the same thing. I didn’t understand why I chose the medium rear tire for the race, but it was helpful because this Sunday I was competitive in the second part of the race’.
He then revealed how the former rider advised him to stay calm in this final title race:
– He just told me to make sure I was calm and understood the situation, and that he [Jorge Martín] was on the worst side, needed to win, and even with a win from him I needed to be fifth, and with the pace I was having it was a good result. I was fast to be in the top five, and to stay calm.
