Fabio Quartararo and Pecco Bagnaia have been the great protagonists of the 2021 MotoGP season. The French Yamaha rider and the Italian Ducati rider shared the majority of the wins and fought for the title, although the resolution in favor of Quartararo came hastily at Misano. But nevertheless, the battle that both have drawn has been written from respect, unlike other controversial past duels. A point that Pecco Bagnaia wanted to highlight, ensuring that MotoGP is in a sweet moment because there is greater respect among the riders who are fighting for the championship. In fact, one of the images of this respect was Pecco Bagnaia’s greeting to Fabio Quartararo after going to the ground in Misano, moment in which he handed over the title to the ‘Devil’.
Far from the controversial duels between Valentino Rossi and Marc Márquez, same that have been lived in other battles in which Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Sete Gibernau or Max Biaggi have been involved, the direct confrontation between Quartararo and Bagnaia has been very clean, something that Pecco himself has valued: «I think MotoGP is changing, because years ago it wasn’t like that. I think we can write a great page of our sport, because respect is now the main thing. I believe that now, more than ever, respect is the main thing. There has not been a single bad gesture between the drivers, even at times when competitive tension could be on the surface. We have all fought with our weapons, but always respecting our rivals».
In the same vein, Pecco Bagnaia has also recognized the beautiful relationship that has developed in the official Ducati box with Jack Miller: “I think we have created something great at Ducati, because the air you breathe in the box is very calm. As drivers, Jack and I go all out, but we also know how to collaborate. This is something that helps us in our work, because sometimes he tests a different tire or I go out on the track with something different and after the session we compare feelings. I knew Jack was a great teammate, but I think this year we have taken one more step in our relationship. We are two smart riders and I think we have reached a perfect point to do our job in the best way possible. “