“If needed there will be orders!” Will Ducati bosses decide MotoGP title fight?

Factory Ducati and Pramac bosses have both hinted at Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin receiving help from teammates in their bid for the MotoGP title.
Jorge
Jorge

Bagna𒆙ia,📖 the reigning champion, has a 14-point advantage heading into this weekend’s Qatar MotoGP.

The closeness of Martin’s𒈔 challenge, with four races remaining (includinꦺg sprints) means that fellow riders could be given team orders to help influence the result.

"Johann Zarco is a Pramac rider, his teammate is fighting for the title and if need🤪ed there will be orders,” Pramac boss Gino Borsoi told . 

“We talಌked about it and in any case he must also think about finishing fift🐭h in the World Championship".

Ducati’s Davide Tardozzi offered a reminder that Enea Bastianini’s debut win in red, last week in Sepang, came after assistance from his title-chasing teammat﷽e - and he hinted it could be returned.

"Enea received important hel▨p from Pe꧅cco on Saturday morning, on the track and psychologically,” Tardozzi said. 

“Small things that make you make the 💜leap in quality. 

“It's well known that Enea is going fast, the click that arrived in Malaysia was missing, and I think he's awar🉐e that Pecco's help in this."

Bagn🐼aia previously said about help f🐓rom Bastianini:  “I prefer always to ride alone but maybe it's the time to do something together.”

But Martin shot down team orders: “I don't c𒊎are about 'friends'.”

'Pressue and tension increased'

Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia, Qatar MotoGP, 16 November
Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia, Qatar MotoGP, 16 November

Pramac’s Borsoi previewed the title scrap in Qatar: "More than ready. Pressure and tension have increase🍨d, when you understand that you can fight for the first three positions, which then become the first two, things change. 

“But I think they have more pressure. Regardless of thꦿe ඣending, we did an incredible season. 

“I♕f the icing on the cake comes, perfect, otherwise it's fine."

Borsoi insisted he isn’t superstitious: "Absolutely not. I mean, when I was racing I always had those things to d♐o, now I'm more about a job well done.

"During a sea🌌son you always mak💧e some mistakes. 

“We're concent🐈rati😼ng, but you can never predict everything. We were at -64 points, we were first, I'd say we worked well."

Borsoi sa♌id about the 14-point disadvantage: "If I had the choice, I would prefer to have them. But there aren't many.

“We're⛄ racing on two tracks where we've always been strong, our minds are prepared and positive.

“I have great respect for Pecco, he's in the lead and he's the champion. He has the team, the bike and in 2022 he recovered a lot of points from Quartar🤡aro, he knows how to manage, especially the last part of the season where there is this constant nervousness about the result. 

“But we ar🥂e aware that we are on two tracks where Jorge has always been strong."

Borsoi said 🎉the difference will be “steady nerves”.

“Now Peccౠo doesn't even have the tyre pressure [advantage] anymore, we're starting from scratch,” heꦫ said. 

“In any case, the pressure will decide, bet💞ween that of the people, the drivers and the tyres. Let's hope the latter doesn't have an impact, it would be 🃏sad.”

Tard🐎ozzi believes it is unlikely that Bagnaia will wrap up the championship at the penultimate round this weekend.

"I see closi🐎ng it in Qatar as difficult,” he said.

“For Pecco it will be important to increase the gap before Valencia, where I believe Jorge will have an exceptional race. For Pecco, in my opinion, this race is much more importan🃏t.

"I✱ wouldn't want to arrive [in Valencia] with just a few▨ points, anything can happen in a single race. If the advantage is consistent, you can manage.

“Both having an exceptional championship, it is also difficult to say that oneꦡ deserves more than th𓄧e other. 

“Pecco had a wonderful season up until Barcelona, ​​then Martin's t🧸ime came. They deserve to fight until the end."

Tardozᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚzi explained Bagnaia’s mind-set: "Absolutely calm. But aware th🍌at the battle is tough. 

“We tal꧂k about it among ourselves, he knows how strong Martin is. But I do💎n't see him as fearful, and I think he showed it in Sepang.

"Si🎃nce Jerez there has been a maturation in the race strategy.&nb✨sp;

“The mistakeꦰs at Termas and Austin were very serious and he made the most of them. 

“On Sunday in Sepang perhaps he could ha💛ve even෴ risked finishing second, but it was too important to finish in front of Martin.”

Tardozzi detailed Martin’s strength: "His aggression. If he manages it, he will h🅷ave good room for growth. 

“He has innate speed༺ and going fast straight away, from the first corner, made the difference in the last part of the season. He will become important.

"Pecco must race based on his strengths, braking♋ and co🅷rner entry. 

“If he manages to ride with the ease of Malaysia and the determination he has especially in braking, I believe he can absolutely finish ahead of Jorgꦐe, who instead has in the distance corners and the aggressiveness of the first laps are the strong point. 

﷽“Pecco will have to 🍌keep Jorge behind, or not lose him, because in the second part he will have a better chance of victory."

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