Pecco postpones everything to the grand finale. But in Barcelona, ​​winning is not enough

Twenty-four points to reset, a Sprint and a race to run. Maybe to win. Even if in the combinations of the distribution of points, it might not be enough. Yet Pecco Bagnaia believes in it and will try, in two weeks, when the 2024 World Championship will tell its last chapter and will do so on the Barcelona track. Yes, in Spain, in the name and sign of Valencia that, shocked by the drama of the flood, had to forget its sport. Its GP. Bagnaia will try to snatch from Jorge Martin's hands that title that is really very close to the Spaniard of Ducati (that Pramac). Very close because Pecco threw himself away with the slip in the Sprint of Malaysia, with a fall that weighs like a millstone on his ranking.

But the Sprint is really and now another story, Bagnaia ended up convincing himself yesterday, going on to win a race that in addition to postponing the sentence on the name of the 2024 World Champion, has rekindled the light on the character and strength of the Ducati rider (the factory one). One, two, ten, one hundred overtakings and counter-overtakings in the first five laps: this is the summary of the Malaysian race, with Pecco who did everything (and succeeded) to not give in to Martin's pressure and indeed, going to take a victory from him (Bagnaia's tenth in this 2024) that shifts everything to the next race. The first laps were also conditioned by the infernal bang (with Miller finished motionless in the center of the track, but then came out of the clinic standing up and without problems) triggered by Binder who took down Quartararo and Miller.

"It's what I wanted and what I had to do – Pecco takes the floor –. Jorge remains the favourite but I had the obligation to give everything to push the World Championship to the last appointment. We will give it our all, starting with the Sprint. The one in Malaysia that complicated everything for me? I want to forget it quickly".

We go to Martin, the Pramac boy who yesterday tried to close the title discussion with that crazy pressure put in place immediately after the green light. "It was what I had to do. I attacked, but Bagnaia was going very fast. He didn't give an inch, then I started to think. I didn't want to make mistakes that I would have paid dearly for".

Bagnaia felt Martin's attacks well. There he felt them and hit back blow for blow. "I'm honest, I didn't expect Jorge to start with the idea of ​​doing everything right away, in the first laps. It was a great battle, very spectacular. Yes, we also had fun".

From Gigi Dall'Igna, number one of the Ducati team to Paolo Campinoti, number one of the Pramac team, only applause for the duel between the two riders. "It was and will be an electrifying challenge", commented the first. "A small mistake by one of the two would have been enough - Campinoti underlined - to ruin everything. Instead Pecco and Martin were very good. The World Championship? - he concludes -. No comment. I don't want to think about it".