Bagnaia insists he will remain a “gentleman” in MotoGP despite Tardozzi criticism

Francesco Bagnaia insists he will continue to act like a “gentleman” in MotoGP despite being criticised for lacking aggression on track.

During the thick of his championship fight with Pramac’s Jorge Martin last year, Bagnaia was instructed by Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi to “stop being a gentleman” or risk being “torn apart” by rivals in a strongly-worded message.

The comments followed Martin getting the jump on the factory Ducati rider at the start of the sprint race in Thailand and bagging crucial points in his ultimately successful chase of a maiden title.

“Pecco, Martin had the guts – the guts to knock you out,” Tardozzi had said during a private meeting.

“He was already positioned like this [pointing towards him] on the grid. He had already decided that he was going to bother you. He did what he had to do.

“That’s what you’ve got to do tomorrow [in the main race]. You can’t always be the gentleman. You just can’t because these guys are kicking your ass.”

Tardozzi’s words now carry extra weight for Bagnaia, with six-time champion Marquez joining the factory Ducati squad to replace Enea Bastianini.

Marquez is notorious for not giving an inch to his rivals on track and is keen to return to the top in MotoGP after successfully rebounding from his 2020 injury and winning races on a satellite Gresini bike last year.

But Bagnaia, 28, wants to stay true to his character in MotoGP, stressing that he is unfazed by Marquez’s arrival in the Ducati garage.

“I [will] let [Marquez] be the ungentleman [sic],” he told the official MotoGP YouTube channel. “I will be the gentleman and I will always be like this and I will not change any time.”

Bagnaia admitted that he needs to improve in certain areas this year, having lost the 2024 title despite winning 11 out of 20 grands prix. A slew of errors in sprint races, combined with misfortune, meant he came 10 points shy of usurping Martin on the Pramac-entered Ducati.

But despite the admission that he has to improve his riding, he doesn’t feel the need to make any particular changes in the way he approaches the championship.

Asked if MotoGP will witness a ‘New Pecco’ in 2025, the Italian replied: “Better not because considering the results it’s better not to change myself. In any case, I have just to improve myself and do a little step.”

The arrival of Marquez forms the kind of ‘super team’ not seen in MotoGP since Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo raced as team-mates at Yamaha in the 2010s.

Bagnaia said he is “super excited” about sharing a garage with Marquez, before adding: “It’s absolutely the strongest team on the grid.

“I think we can take advantage of it. We can try to learn from some things about Marc, I think he will adapt super well to the team.

“[In] the first part during the test we will work together, try to improve the bike and try to be ready for the first race. Then what will happen will happen.

“I’m quite sure and confident our potential in every race will be first and second positions and the bike will allow us to do so. It will be important we will try to do it. Who wins will win but the potential is there.”