Bagnaia insists he will remain a “gentleman” in MotoGP despite Tardozzi criticism

Francesco Bagnaia insists he’ll proceed to behave like a “gentleman” in MotoGP regardless of being criticised for missing aggression on observe.

In the course of the thick of his championship struggle with Pramac’s Jorge Martin final yr, Bagnaia was instructed by Ducati team supervisor Davide Tardozzi to “cease being a gentleman” or danger being “torn aside” by rivals in a strongly-worded message.

The feedback adopted Martin getting the bounce on the manufacturing facility Ducati rider at the beginning of the dash race in Thailand and bagging essential factors in his finally profitable chase of a maiden title.

“Pecco, Martin had the heart – the heart to knock you out,” Tardozzi had stated throughout a non-public assembly.

“He was already positioned like this [pointing towards him] on the grid. He had already determined that he was going to trouble you. He did what he needed to do.

“That is what you have to do tomorrow [in the main race]. You’ll be able to’t at all times be the gentleman. You simply cannot as a result of these guys are kicking your ass.”

Tardozzi’s phrases now carry further weight for Bagnaia, with six-time champion Marquez becoming a member of the manufacturing facility Ducati squad to switch Enea Bastianini.

Marquez is infamous for not giving an inch to his rivals on observe and is eager to return to the highest in MotoGP after efficiently rebounding from his 2020 harm and profitable races on a satellite tv for pc Gresini bike final yr.

However Bagnaia, 28, needs to remain true to his character in MotoGP, stressing that he’s unfazed by Marquez’s arrival within the Ducati storage.

“I [will] let [Marquez] be the ungentleman [sic],” he instructed the official MotoGP YouTube channel. “I would be the gentleman and I’ll at all times be like this and I can’t change any time.”

Bagnaia admitted that he wants to enhance in sure areas this yr, having misplaced the 2024 title regardless of profitable 11 out of 20 grands prix. A slew of errors in dash races, mixed with misfortune, meant he got here 10 factors shy of usurping Martin on the Pramac-entered Ducati.

However regardless of the admission that he has to enhance his using, he would not really feel the necessity to make any specific adjustments in the way in which he approaches the championship.

Requested if MotoGP will witness a ‘New Pecco’ in 2025, the Italian replied: “Higher not as a result of contemplating the outcomes it is higher to not change myself. In any case, I’ve simply to enhance myself and do some step.”

The arrival of Marquez varieties the sort of ‘tremendous workforce’ not seen in MotoGP since Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo raced as team-mates at Yamaha within the 2010s.

Bagnaia stated he’s “tremendous excited” about sharing a storage with Marquez, earlier than including: “It is completely the strongest workforce on the grid.

“I feel we will benefit from it. We will attempt to study from some issues about Marc, I feel he’ll adapt tremendous nicely to the workforce.

“[In] the primary half through the take a look at we are going to work collectively, attempt to enhance the bike and attempt to be prepared for the primary race. Then what is going to occur will occur.

“I am fairly positive and assured our potential in each race can be first and second positions and the bike will enable us to take action. Will probably be essential we are going to attempt to do it. Who wins will win however the potential is there.”