MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has weighed in on the title battle between his protege Francesco Bagnaia and Pramac rival Jorge Martin in 2024.
With no clashing commitments to his GT racing programme with BMW, seven-time champion Rossi is attending this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg and has already spent a considerable amount of time trackside in his role as the owner of the VR46 team.
The Italian has also been taking a close look at the performances of Bagnaia and Martin, who have once again proved to be a class apart from the rest. The two qualified half a second clear of the field and also locked out the top spots in Saturday’s sprint, making them the prime contenders for victory on Sunday.
Rossi knows Bagnaia very well through the latter’s time at VR46 in Moto2 and has supported his career in MotoGP ever since, while Martin has also come under his radar following his impressive title challenge in 2023.
The 45-year-old praised Pramac rider Martin for raising his game and improving his craft in every area, but thinks beating Bagnaia will be tough as he has no “weak points” remaining in MotoGP.
"Martin is there, he always manages to have that little bit more, he is very calm, he rides well and is incredibly fast," he told Italian broadcaster Sky Sport. "He has improved a lot in all aspects [but] at the moment Bagnaia does not have a weak point.
"He's got the [one] lap [speed], he always gets the start and that's a very important thing. It's something that champions like [Max] Verstappen do [in Formula 1]. Always starting well is not easy, every now and then you happen to make a mistake, but he is always there. Then he’s incredibly fast.
"Lately, under pressure he is giving his best. This is Bagnaia's strength for me: he is aggressive, but he is not dirty. He is clean, but he is not sweet. It's the right mix of wickedness, aggressiveness. He rides the Ducati with oversteer under braking, but also the mileage [on tyres] and not making mistakes. Now it's hard to beat [him] but I'm there with Martin."
The title battle has swung between the two Ducati riders a number of times in the first half of the season, with Martin opening up a big lead after Le Mans and Bagnaia reversing that advantage with four successive grand prix wins.
Martin was on the back foot heading into the summer break in July, but showed great resolve at the last round in Britain to take back control of the championship. Bagnaia's win in the Austria sprint, however, has now put both riders level at the top of the championship.
Rossi thinks it is very likely that the fight between Bagnaia and Martin will go down the wire at Valencia in November, with little to separate the pair.
"After so many races they are still tied on points, so there is a good chance that they will make it to the end," he said. "Then it depends a lot on the dynamics. We come from a moment when Bagnaia had recovered a lot of points, because he was already 44 points behind. He took it back and now he is there.
"In any case, it will be a good fight, because Martin is a very fast rider, he also makes few mistakes, he starts well and these are the important things in today's MotoGP, so it will be a good fight until the end."
He added: "Before the break, Pecco was in a better condition, because he caught up with him and had also passed him. But Martin, despite the fact that next year he will no longer be in Ducati and will have to change teams, when he returned from vacation he was immediately there and managed to get back in front.
"At this moment, it is a draw. Even from the outside the two of them are always the ones who go a little more, you can also see that they have a few tenths in the most important points of the track."
Saturday’s sprint race at Spielberg was effectively decided when Martin ran wide at the Turn 2 chicane and took the escape road, but didn’t slow down enough after rejoining the track and picked up a long lap penalty.
Rossi believes the best solution for the track limits problem is to have grass run-off areas at most places, as they act as a natural deterrent against riders running wide.
"Martin made a mistake in braking and went off the track, so there should be grass there in theory," he said.
“Now there is concrete on the slopes, but in my opinion it is also right that those who make a mistake should pay. It is unfair that he cuts the chicane because there is concrete and re-attaches to the one [rider] in front.
“There he should have waited a little longer, let [Marc] Marquez pass and then get back in the race. When he makes a mistake, he is equal to Pecco, then he comes back at a tenth and a half [gap], but I understand that a second is difficult to calculate.
"Concrete off the track is safer, because if there is grass you fall, and safety is the most important thing. But sometimes it also distorts the races a bit, because if you know that there is asphalt there you try anyway, knowing that at worst you can cut.
"That's how it is, but when you go off the track it's right that you pay."
