Reigning World Champion and current points leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was a busy man over the summer break, as when he wasn’t winning races in the Ducati Race of Champions, he was either tying the knot or tending to media duties! In regards to the latter, the Italian featured on Icon magazine, alongside teammate Enea Bastianini, for an article ranging from their own mental motivations to how the pressures of getting married compare to fighting for titles.
Winning back-to-back World Championships is no easy feat, and takes a huge amount of character and grit, and despite his more timid off track demeanour, it is something that Bagnaia admits he posesses in spades.
"The determination will never be lacking in me. I am shy, but very determined, and a hard worker. It's unlikely for me to clash or argue with anyone. Instinct pushes me to go fast; on track, every move is calculated, every choice deliberate.
"I am the most self-critical person in the world," the Italian said.
It’s an assessment that his teammate Bastianini agreed with, adding: "When he decides to do something, he goes straight for it."
"You have to be determined, the mind always leads everything. He proved it last year, the worst season of my career. Three fractures over five months. When you suffer several injuries, it's not easy to get back on track. Nothing was clicking; as soon as a small victory came, a blow would follow. It taught me to take it philosophically: from the bottom, you can only rise, and you must never stop believing. I have a routine with precise times on race weekends: being ready by 11 AM for the start of Moto3, or thinking about which glove I wore during the good practice session,” Bastianini further added.
‘The Beast’ also opened up on his own journey through the world of motorcycle racing, which has led to him fulfilling plenty of dreams.
"My dad Emilio is my best friend. He has always been my number one fan, and this year I decided to have him with me at every race weekend. However, he hasn't stopped working: he's still at the markets, behind his underwear stall!
"My first dream was to become a World Champion. I achieved that in Moto2, in 2020. It was a difficult period due to the pandemic, but the title will always be in my mind."
And as for Bastianini’s second MotoGP™ dream? It was competing alongside MotoGP™ Legend Valentino Rossi: “I never would have imagined being on the same starting grid as him, but it happened many times, and it was wonderful!”
As for Bagnaia, he completed a dream of his own over the summer break. Having stolen the Championship lead from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in Germany just before the summer break, the Italian had more reasons to celebrate as he recently wed fiance Domizia. When asked how the pressures of tying the knot compared to riding a MotoGP™ machine, there was only one winner while he underlay the importance of having his wife by his side as much as possible.
"I would like Domizia to be by my side more often, her presence is a necessity for me. Planning the wedding was easy: there's no comparison with the World Championship. Maybe Domizia thinks differently!"