In the MotoGP Valencia Sprint race, Francesco Bagnaia didn’t have the best performance, finishing fifth. Directly behind him were Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini/Ducati) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing/Ducati), who chose not to attack him – a moment when he’s in a title fight with Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati). This approach isn’t criticized by Aleix Espargaró, stating he’d do the same with Martín if in a similar position.
The Aprilia rider told the press: ‘Yesterday we saw that Jorge used his weapons to try to put Pecco nervous and destabilize him. And today Pecco was a bit lucky because the two riders behind him didn’t attack him. So at the end this is fair. He got lucky to get some extra points because DiGia and Bezzecchi didn’t attack him. But for me it’s OK. If I’m in the position to attack Jorge tomorrow, I will not do it, 100%. So it’s fair, and it’s racing, it’s part of the championship’.
When asked if he’d do it out of friendship with Martín, Espargaró replied: ‘It depends. For example, Marc [Márquez] today attacked Jorge, but believe me, Marc had the position. If Jorge hasn’t been there, it would be impossible [Brad] Binder stay in front. But Marc respected him. It’s fair, this is part of the game, because he is fighting for the title. If I had the chance, Jorge is my friend. For me finishing fifht or sixth doesn’t change, for him changes quite a lot. So, it’s part of the championship, it’s not a problem’.