King of the MotoGP World Championship, Francesco Bagnaia, confessed that he was not up to par in Le Mans over the weekend, acknowledging that Marc Márquez, of Gresini Ducati, “outperformed me” in the battle for second place.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Ducati rider, managed to increase his lead in the championship in France after emerging victorious in a three-way battle for victory in the French Grand Prix against Bagnaia and Márquez.
Márquez, who qualified in 13th place, managed to overtake Bagnaia on the final lap with an impressive maneuver at turn 9, skillfully bringing his GP23 bike to a stop and quickly turning into the corner.
As a result, Márquez is now just two points behind Bagnaia’s total of 91, while Martin enjoys a comfortable 38-point lead at the top of the standings.
Bagnaia commented: “If you don’t win, you can never be completely satisfied, but it was a good race. I managed to regain the confidence I had yesterday, but I didn’t feel as competitive as the other two riders, who clearly had an extra advantage today. We definitely need to keep working, but overall, the weekend was good – except for the sprint race – as we were consistently competitive and fast. Finishing the race here in Le Mans was important after the results of the last two seasons, so I’m happy with that. In the final stages, I tried to stay close to Martin to overtake him at turn 13, but Márquez was incredibly strong in the third sector and used his speed to his advantage, ultimately overtaking me.”
Despite currently holding the second position in the championship, Bagnaia faced difficulties at the start of the season.
His Did Not Finish (DNF) in the sprint race on Saturday adds to his crashes at the Jerez sprint and the Portuguese GP, highlighting the vulnerability of the two-time champion.
On the other hand, Martin demonstrated an impressive pace throughout the season, giving him an early advantage in the championship.
Márquez, despite facing his own DNFs, managed to compete for top positions with outdated equipment.
His consecutive second places in Le Mans, starting from 13th on the grid in both races, mean that Bagnaia should not only worry about Martin overtaking him in the standings, but also about Márquez’s pursuit from behind.
