Francesco Bagnaia clinched the MotoGP World Championship in 2022 and 2023, both times after battles that extended to the final race of the season. This year, the Ducati rider defends his title again, but Andrea Dovizioso believes he might face even greater challenges.
The former rider told La Gazzetta dello Sport that Bagnaia has good chances, but he also faces formidable rivals – including Marc Márquez, who joins Gresini:
– In my opinion, Pecco has many chances to win the championship in the season starting in March in Qatar. However, I think 2024 could be the toughest year for him. Firstly, because he’ll face his first rivals: riders who already rode a Ducati in 2023 and, consequently, will have even more experience and be more competitive. In addition to this is Marc’s arrival, someone we all expect to be strong from the outset and who could consistently fight for top positions.
Even so, Dovizioso believes that Bagnaia will rise to the challenges: ‘It’s obvious that all of this doesn’t make things easier for Bagnaia, but I would say that by now he has shown that he is mature and ready to face any kind of challenge. Last year, he was able to extract the maximum, even the best, from his cards, almost always managing to find the right solutions, sometimes at the last moment […]. And this ability of his, the way he works, which he has now consolidated with his team, knowing practically everything, for better or for worse, about Ducati, represents a considerable strength’.