Pecco Bagnaia at a crossroads: his big doubt as world champion

A great doubt ahead of the season in which he will be reigning world champion.

Pecco Bagnaia still uncertain between the iconic 1 and the beloved 63. The Ducati rider, who became the 2022 MotoGP world champion, is entitled to choose a number between the two in the new season. And, as he confessed to Rai microphones, he has not yet made a decision to that effect. Not only that: he might even make it at the very last moment.

“I come from a period in which I changed my mind many times,” Bagnaia revealed. “Initially I was thinking of jumping on No. 1, then during the vacations I went back to No. 63. On Tuesday we will have to take photos for the presentation ahead of the new championship, and at that point I will decide. I think I’ll get there with both numbers, and in the end I’ll stick on my Ducati the one I feel is most suitable.”

Recall that in MotoGP the reigning world champion is entitled to ride with the number 1, but also to keep the one he normally uses. This was over time the choice of Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, who never abandoned their 46 and 93. Iconic, however, is Casey Stoner’s number 1 in the colors of the Australian flag. Similar discourse for Formula 1, where Lewis Hamilton never abandoned the number 44 since the regulations allowed it. Max Verstappen, on the contrary, as world champion opted for a flamboyant red 1 instead of the canonical 33.