Valentino Rossi Lauds Pecco Bagnaia’s ‘Aggressive Yet Clean’ Riding as MotoGP Title Battle Intensifies

Valentino Rossi praises Pecco Bagnaia for being "aggressive but fair"

Valentino Rossi analyzes the MotoGP championship battle

Valentino Rossi provided his insights on Pecco Bagnaia's flawless performance during the Austrian MotoGP weekend.

The current MotoGP titleholder, who trained at the VR46 Academy, secured victories in both the Saturday sprint race and the Sunday grand prix, resulting in a five-point advantage over Jorge Martin.

Martin, who received a long lap penalty on Saturday, secured second place in two races.

Rossi shared his thoughts on Bagnaia's performance with Sky Italia after the sprint, noting that he had a fantastic start to the weekend, performing strongly right from the initial practice session.

"Martin is present, but on these weekends, Bagnaia seems to have an extra edge."

"He is quite reserved, handles driving adeptly, and possesses remarkable speed. He has made significant progress in all areas and currently shows no weaknesses."

"He always begins the race strongly, executing the opening lap with precision. This skill is crucial, and it's a trait seen in champions such as Verstappen."

"It's challenging to consistently have a strong start; occasionally, people make mistakes. However, he is always reliable and extremely quick."

Bagnaia is 'assertive, not unsportsmanlike'

Rossi asserts that the two-time champion Bagnaia excels when faced with challenges.

"Yes, recently, he's been putting in maximum effort under pressure and is able to go the extra mile,” he stated.

"From my perspective, Bagnaia's key attribute is his ability to be forceful without being reckless, and precise without being overly gentle."

"He has the perfect combination of ruthlessness and assertiveness. He maneuvers the Ducati with oversteer during braking and has the experience to avoid errors. At this point, he's tough to defeat."

Rossi cautioned factory Ducati racer Bagnaia that Pramac's Martin might compete for the championship until the very end, just like he did last year.

"They have a significant chance of making it to the finish," stated Rossi.

"The situation is fluid. Currently, Bagnaia has been gaining significant points in recent races. It's important to remember that he once had a lead of around 40 points, and now he's back in contention."

"We need to watch closely every weekend now, as Martin is a very quick rider who rarely makes errors. He consistently achieves the fastest lap and has strong starts, which are crucial in MotoGP today. It promises to be an exciting battle until the finish."

Which is preferable: pursuing or being pursued?

Rossi commented that he believed Pecco was in good form prior to the interruption because he had overtaken his competitor.

"Although Martin will not be staying with Ducati next year, he will have to switch teams and is upset because he had hoped to remain with the red team."

Upon coming back from his vacation, he immediately engaged and successfully reclaimed points from his opponent.

"I now view them as equals. From an external perspective, it's apparent that both are currently doing somewhat better; you can visibly notice the improvement."

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