The days pass, but the controversy after the Portimao accident does not go away, on the contrary. Like a wave arriving from afar, the controversy over the Bagnaia-Marquez incident grows with each passing hour. TV lounges, chats at the bar, interviews with insiders (but also the comments of CEO Claudio Domenicali): everything contributes to keeping the topic alive and we wonder if we will experience other episodes of this white-hot confrontation between the two Ducatisti .
The versions of the facts
We know the facts themselves, the following statements are worth revisiting, to try to hypothesize what could happen in the near future.
Marquez was not soft towards Valentino's pupil: “I remain convinced that he was wrong. We were fighting for fifth-sixth position with three laps to go and he was struggling with the rear tyre. He proved to be a little too optimistic in his recovery and aggressive. (…) I have telemetry, so they can immediately understand (in Ducati, ed.) how it went. I saw it, but since it's private I can't reveal what emerged.” Bagnaia was less explicit, but he made himself understood. “All I needed was for me to take the penalty. As I expected, race officials said there would be no measures. There are situations and situations and in this case little could be done. The decision is right. I'm disappointed, it's one thing when you fall through no fault of your own and get a zero…”.
Translated into a nutshell
Marc hinted that Bagnaia made a calculation error. Whether he really believes it or not, it's clear that Marc speaks more like a Ducati man than he actually is, racing the #93 for a satellite team. Our interpretation? More or less what follows: “Bagnaia has lost control, not something worthy of his role. I tell the Ducati managers that they are a more valid solution as a rider capable of handling situations like this better than him.”
Pecco, on the other hand, appeared more nervous, under an apparent calm. He didn't want to attack Marc openly, but he made it very clear that he doesn't feel wrong in the slightest, so… it's the other person's fault.
What will happen
It's difficult to say, but it's no mystery that Marquez is at ease in “argumentative” situations and indeed seems to draw new life from them. Furthermore, Marc is hunting, if not for a place in the official team, at least for an official bike. It's easy to imagine that at the next grand prix – which by the way takes place on “his” track, in Austin – he will want to show everyone that he is the strongest. Bagnaia for his part has made it clear that he doesn't want to allow himself to be dragged into controversies that would only be disadvantageous from a championship perspective.
At this point it is easy to imagine a sort of truce in the hostilities, but it cannot be ruled out that sooner or later Marquez will end up on a collision course with Pecco again, for the simple fact that he will do nothing to avoid it.
