Opinion: There doesn't seem to be much of a rivalry involved in MotoGP's 2022 title battle, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing
– split by just 17 points ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. With just five races to go, there’s been no suggestions yet that this won’t be kept alive through to the curtain-closer in Valencia on November 6.
Maybe. Much of MotoGP’s popularity over the last two decades was built around its intense rivalries – largely centring on whodidn’t like, or vice versa. Rossi vs Lorenzo vs Stoner vs Pedrosa vs Marquez was a golden era that produced some absolutely sensational battles. Williams driver Nicholas Latifi spoke of the mental toll death threats took on him over the winter, as misguided Lewis Hamilton fans believed his crash which triggered the safety car drama that decided the title warranted such abuse. At Silverstone, British crowds boo Verstappen while the same behaviour happens at the Dutchman’s strongholds – with numerous reports of assault and other forms of abuse from Verstappen fans overshadowing races too often in 2022.
In Bagnaia, you have a rider trying to achieve something Ducati hasn’t for 15 years. And he is doing so having been 91 points adrift after a fourth DNF of the campaign as early as June’s German GP. But six wins in total – four of which have come between Assen and Aragon – means he’s now just 10 points adrift. Not only does Bagnaia have the expectations of Ducati, but as a VR46 Academy member, he is very much seen as an heir of nine-time grand prix world champion Rossi.
"Racing is racing. If we know how far we can go to respect one another, this is racing. We both want to win, but Fabio is a very nice guy. He lives beside my house and always when he passes my house he stops, and I hope he can continue stopping on the next years to say hello. But what happens on track stays on track.”
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