Marco Melandri did not hide his admiration for Pecco Bagnaia’s race at the Thai Grand Prix, considering that he was on another level compared to the others, even Marc Márquez, who seemed to have ‘more’ in the race than he was able to demonstrate.
Bagnaia, who won brilliantly in Buriram, is now in a close battle with Jorge Martín, who finished in second place, but in Buriram he was one level above his opponent, as he explained to Gazzetta dello Sport, quoted by Motosan:
– Pecco was a phenomenon. He rode with such precision that it seemed to make everything easier. Watching him, it seemed like he was in a race apart from the others. Martín, on the other hand, knew how to take advantage of Márquez’s crash in a way that I would say was more than competent.
Regarding Márquez, he commented: ‘He seemed to have a lot more to give, but he also had the least to lose. If he had done a calm race and finished second behind Pecco, it would have been almost like a victory and would have left Ducati furious’.
With only two races remaining in the championship, Melandri highlights the possible variables that could influence the results: ‘In Malaysia it may even rain, and I hope Márquez can make an impact. And we have [Enea] Bastianini, who has already won last year. As for [Pedro] Acosta, it depends. The KTM doesn’t seem to be at the level of the Ducati on a dry track. Many try, but few manage to even get close. I don’t see anyone who can cause as much trouble as Enea and Marc’.