Bagnaia: I don't need help for the title

Francesco Bagnaia believes he can win his first MotoGP world title this year without the help of his Ducati team-mates.

The 25-year-old Italian practically wrote off this year's crown when he trailed Fabio Quartararo by more than 90 points in the championship after the German Grand Prix, but then a turnaround followed and Bagnaia is now only 10 points behind the current world champion.

After the GP of Aragon, where Quartararo retired, the gap would have been even smaller if Ducati had used team orders and instructed Enea Bastianini to leave the victory to Bagna. But the Ducati camp insist that all eight of their riders, represented in four teams, have a clear path to victory, and Bagnaia says he doesn't need any help anyway. "I don't think I need help. I prefer to win on the track, not because someone lets me go. But at the end of the day, it's not up to me to decide, even though I've expressed my wishes. If management decides otherwise, it won't be because of me. I will do my best, I will try to be as high as possible and win, just like in Misano and Aragon.”

With the victory in Aragon, Bastianini significantly improved his position in the fight for the championship title, as he is now behind the leading Yamaha rider by 48 points, and the Gresini rider says that for now he has a free hand to reach for the title as well. "There is a lot of talk about this," he said. "The media, in particular, often ask about this, but for now it is completely calm in the pits. I have a good feeling and I think Ducati also want it to stay that way. There have been no orders yet, but we'll see if that changes in the future, as a lot depends on what happens with Pecc. I am now much closer in the championship, but the only important thing for me is to give XNUMX% effort and be fast."