Italian motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi told AFP it would “not be easy” for his compatriot Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) to win a third consecutive world title this season.
“I think Pecco (Bagnaia) can win a third consecutive title this year, even if it won’t be easy, especially with Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac),” declared the former motorcycle rider, converted to motorsport, on the sidelines of the Six Hours of Spa, the third round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in which he is participating this weekend. Jorge Martin, winner of Saturday’s sprint race at the French Grand Prix, is 29 points ahead of the Italian before Sunday’s race, who retired and fell from 2nd to 3rd place in the world championship.
“I still follow MotoGP very closely and in particular the riders who went through my academy (the VR46 Riders Academy, Editor’s note), like Pecco or Marco Bezzecchi. They sacrifice everything to win and when they win, I’m delighted because it’s a bit thanks to me,” added Rossi. The Italian also suggested that his VR46 team should remain associated with Ducati next year in MotoGP.
“At the moment, the best bike is the Ducati. Having a team in MotoGP requires a lot of work and a big financial effort. There are a lot of people, so it costs a lot of money and you have to get good results in the short term. “It’s therefore complicated to change bikes at the moment because the Ducati is the best,” he explained.
For several months, rumors in the paddock have raised the possibility that Rossi will join Yamaha, a brand with which he has played 15 of his 21 seasons in MotoGP and which is desperate to find a satellite team. But the great difficulties experienced by the Japanese firm since the world title of Frenchman Fabio Quartararo in 2021 seem prohibitive for “The Doctor”.
