The dynamics between MotoGP riders have been gaining increasingly psychological contours, especially when it comes to the relationship between the Márquez brothers and champion Pecco Bagnaia. According to Ricard Jové, the joint celebrations of the Spanish brothers can have a significant impact on the Italian rider’s mind.
‘When they do these celebrations, they have a lot of psychological effect. This hurts the one who won a lot. It has an Ángel Nieto psychology, who did things to cause damage. Those celebrations have something… Pecco’s Achilles heel is Alex Márquez,’ Jové stated on the Dura La Vita podcast, quoted by Motosan, referring to how the Márquez’s celebrations may be working as a psychological strategy.
This mental game is not new in the world of motorcycling, having previously been a striking feature of the legendary Spanish rider Ángel Nieto. The comparison made by Jové suggests that the Márquez brothers may be using similar tactics to destabilize Bagnaia.
The expert particularly identifies Alex Márquez as Bagnaia’s ‘weak point’, suggesting that the success of Marc’s younger brother may have a special demoralizing effect on the Italian rider, who has seen his position of dominance increasingly threatened by the rise of the two Spaniards.