Things are peaceful with Marc Marquez. Or are they?
It seems peace has been made between Marc Marquez and Misano: as highlighted by the Corriere di Romagna, which published a video of the award ceremony for the Spanish Ducati rider. By also winning the main race of the San Marino and Romagna Riviera Grand Prix, he has caught up with Jorge Martin in the standings—effectively overtaking him, having stood on the top step of the podium more times than the Aprilia rider.
Not everyone, however, agrees, and they’ve expressed their discontent on social media: for years, in fact, Marquez has been in the crosshairs of Valentino Rossi’s fans, with whom he had a history in the final part of his career that went far beyond mere disagreements.
“Were there no boos? If I’d been below the stage, I definitely would have booed,” wrote one fan of number 46, for example, whose post received a string of ‘likes.’ Others once again criticized Marquez for what happened in 2013.
Marquez himself, when asked about the unexpectedly favorable reception from the Misano crowd, sidestepped mentioning Valentino Rossi’s name while clearly alluding to him: “It’s been ten years now. As a sportsman, fair play or the fans’ applause is always preferable; if they don’t come, so be it. I’m used to it. It’s normal, though, that here in Misano, Bezzecchi’s name is cheered more than mine. We’re in Italy; at Aragon, it was the opposite. The important thing is that people have fun.”
On the racing front, the one-two finish at Misano allowed the Catalan rider to tie Jorge Martin for the World Championship lead with 274 points, while Bezzecchi, who started from pole position with a new “Marco Simoncelli” circuit record of 1:29.982, ended up with his fifth zero of the season, slipping to -33 behind the leader after a crash at the end of the first lap. Rounding out the podium for Sunday’s race were Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta, with Fermin Aldeguer in fourth.
The excitement at Ducati was uncontainable: team manager Davide Tardozzi, after pumping his fists against the pit wall as Marquez crossed the finish line, turned to the camera with a relieved “It’s red!” General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna also joined in the celebrations: “What a victory for Marquez! He really raced like Marc. He managed everything perfectly, from start to finish. But let’s keep our feet firmly on the ground.”
Words of praise also came from Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, who highlighted the maturity the Catalan rider has shown: “Champions know how to evolve. We’ve discovered a fantastic ability to work as a team. When he doesn’t feel comfortable in the corners, he says, ‘It’s me who isn’t doing well here, so there’s no point in changing the bike.’ And when he tells us something’s wrong, we know there really is a problem with the bike.” Domenicali also expressed regret over Bezzecchi’s crash: “I feel bad for him; it would have been fantastic to see a duel between them on the track.”
In stark contrast to the celebrations in Marquez’s pit, Pecco Bagnaia’s Sunday ended with yet another crash as he battled to finish in the points. Manager Carlo Pernat, speaking to La Repubblica, didn’t mince words in analyzing the two-time world champion’s collapse: “Marc is a predator, and Pecco wasn’t as mentally strong as a world champion should be. You can’t lose your technique or riding skills—it’s just a mental issue.” Pernat did, however, leave a glimmer of hope for next year, when Bagnaia will join Aprilia: “Let’s hope the desire for redemption brings him back to his former self.”
Human
