Last March at the MotoGP Portuguse GP, the first incident between Marc Márquez and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) since the Spaniard joined the Ducati satellite team, Gresini, happened. And it had bad consequences for both of them.
Although there were no injuries, the incident resulted in both riders failing to score points while they were fighting for the fifth place until that moment. Márquez finished only 16th, and Bagnaia had to retire following the crash.
Such incidents are undesirable, as in MotoGP every point can make a difference in the championship standings, and there is always the risk of physical injuries for the riders involved.
Michele Masini, Gresini’s team manager, was asked during the official broadcast of the FP1 of the Americas GP if the incident in Portugal had been discussed with Ducati. In response, the Italian denied any discussion:
– No, no. Absolutely not. We are just thinking about the next races, focusing on COTA weekend. Let’s see what happens this weekend. For sure the expectations are so high, but we need to be calm and go step by step.