Jorge Lorenzo: ‘Francesco Bagnaia should’ve “accepted” Marc Marquez’s overtake’.
Jorge Lorenzo has accused Francesco Bagnaia for the collision with Marc Marquez at the Portuguese MotoGP, arguing he should have allowed his competitor to pass. Race Direction ruled that the collision was a racing event, which both riders and now Lorenzo agree with, but Marquez made it plain that Bagnaia’s manoeuvre was only marginally acceptable.
Bagnaia’s effort to dive up the inside of Marquez at Portimao during the battle for P5 resulted in a crash. Bagnaia did not restart, therefore Marquez ended P16. “Marc is an aggressive rider, but in this specific moment in my opinion he is not at fault,” Lorenzo said in an interview with Sky.
“Because the person overtaking the person in front lacks a complete 360-degree view of what is going on. “Instead, the one in the back, in this case Bagnaia, could see Marquez’s intention to return to the queue.” “So, in this scenario, I believe Pecco might have averted the fall by allowing Marc to pass in that corner in front of him and found himself further ahead.
“Instead, he found a small space and opened the throttle slightly more than usual to squeeze in, but the space was limited; they both had the same aim, which was to start first in that corner, and they eventually collided. “In this scenario, I believe Marc is not at blame, and Pecco could have avoided the crash. “But it is right not to penalise either of them.”
When asked if Bagania should have been punished, Lorenzo responded, “No, but if Pecco had accepted Marc’s overtaking and tried again later, no one would have crashed.” Jorge Martin benefited the most from the incident.
He won the Portuguese MotoGP and is currently at the top of the standings after two rounds. However, Lorenzo insisted that Bagnaia and Marquez would continue to compete for the title. “Yes, certainly. “Only two races have passed, and there is still a lot to do,” Lorenzo stated. “Pecco exhibited coldness and serenity. Perhaps he made certain blunders, such as the braking on Saturday that cost him the victory, or a minor miscalculation in evaluating the risk in the action with Marquez. “But Pecco continues to be a great champion, a very calm and cerebral rider.”Marc, on the other hand, is performing exceptionally well at Ducati, which is not easy.
“He has the 2023 bike, which is slightly poorer in condition, however minimal. “In my opinion, Marc is feeling better and driving faster. “Therefore, Pecco and Marc will be among the favourites for the world championship.“
JORGE LORENZO BACKS ENEA BASTIANINI FOR CHALLENGE
Lorenzo also encouraged Bagnaia’s factory Ducati colleague, Enea Bastianini, to compete for the title. Bastianini’s debut season in red was marred by injuries, but he grabbed pole position in Portimao this weekend, demonstrating his skill.
“Enea was very unlucky last year,” Lorenzo recalled. “Furthermore, Enea wasn’t pleased with last year’s bike. “Now he has fully recovered, with great physical conditions and a bike that feels better: we have found a competitive Enea again. “Maybe he is not yet showing his true potential in the second part of the races in which he is certainly the strongest, but slowly finding confidence in himself we will see a talented Bastianini who will fight for victories and certainly for the world championship.”
