Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez’s “when you wear red” verdict on a title scrap

“You need to fight for the championship! If൲ not, another [rider] will take your bike!”

Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez
Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez

In the past, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Marc Marquez would ‘welcome’ new MotoGP team-mates to🍨 Repsol Honda with a reminder that winning was expected.

After Jorge Lorenzo’s arrival to 🥂form a much-hyped ‘dream team’ for 2019, Marquez spelt out: “A dream team is when you win the triple crown.”

As recently as Marquez’s final Honda launch, alongside another new te꧋am-m🍨ate and former champion in Joan Mir, Marquez had said:

“Bot🅘h of us need to be winning races - if you wear these colours you have to, it’s a must.”

The tables have now turned, with Marquez the newcomer in a Ducati Lenovo ‘dream team’ alongside fellow multi-champion 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Francesco Bagnaia for 2025.

And when Bagnaia was quizzed on the likelihood of a title battle with Marquez during Monday’s team launch, the Spaniard could finish the senꦦtence for him.

Bagnaia began: “When you're wearing the red leathers, you have to - he [M𓆏arquez] know🀅s that this year…”

Marquez, with a wry smile, jumped in: “You need to fight for the championship! If not, anotheღr [rider] will take your bike!”

Expanding on his ans𓆉wer, double champion Bagnaia - who narrowly lost out on a third crown to Jorge Martin last season - agreed that Marquez should be his ‘main contender’ but didn’t rule out a sur🦩prise.

“It’s difficult to kn🍃ow every season whoꦐ the rival will be.

“But I think ﷽for the potential of the bike and from what we saw last year, Marc will be one of the hardest absolutely, he will be the main contender.

“Because he has on꧒e more year of experience with our bike. The newꦫ bike will absolutely suit him better because it's an improvement compared with what he was riding last year.

“And he was already doing an amazing job [last year]ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ, many pod🍃iums, won three races.

“So I think [he] will ওbe the main contender and we have to see during the season who the others are.

“Therಞe could be someone else. But the main two꧂ I think are us.”

Marquez: “Main target is title top three”

Whilst acknowledging the need to fight for the title in factory colours, Marquez insists he’d be satisfied to match last year’s achievement of a place in the world champions🔯hip top three.

“Of course, my team-mate finished second or first the🦹 last fou🦩r years, so he's super strong and the normal thing is that he will be in front. Especially in the first races,” Marquez said.

“He won eleven races. He made some mistakes, yeah, but if you don't tak𓄧e a risk, you don't win eleven races. So in the end, it's always a comprom🍰ise.

“But as I said, I will try to learn from him, try to understand how I can find the best level with my riding style inside the Ducati Lenovo team, and from that point, l🗹et's see.

“Trying to be in that 🍷top three at the end of the championship wil🅘l be the main target. Of course, we will try to keep the focus on that title, but the main target is top three.”

Marquez, who won six premier-class titles from 2013-2019, ꧑added:

“The target of the team is to try to win. 𝔉If Pecco is not [able] to 💎win, I'll try to win. If I'm not [able] to win, he will try to win.”

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