Why the new MotoGP world champion has a stronger character than it seems
While new MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia might not be the loudest rider on the grid, his calm exterior belies a steely backbone. His part in turning around Ducati's fortunes at the start of the year, when displeased with a new engine concept, shows the strength of his character
The courage shown by Francesco Bagnaia in scrapping the latest version of the engine that Ducati developed for 2022 shows the personality of the new MotoGP world champion, someone who prefers to keep a lower profile than his predecessors on the throne.
At 25 years of age, Francesco Bagnaia does not come across as a guy who feels the need to make a lot of noise, although he is no less effective for that. That's clearer now with the world championship sewn up, the first for Ducati in 15 years and the second in the company's history, after Casey Stoner won in 2007. The Italian is the third most popular rider on the grid according to the survey conducted jointly by MotoGP and Motorsport Network, from a sample of more than 100,000 people, in which he appears behind Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez.
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