MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia's apology to Alex Marquez for his comments in the aftermath of their Aragon Grand Prix collision were not just an act of high integrity, but a valuable de-escalation.
It was made doubly impressive by the fact Bagnaia's challenge for a MotoGP 'three-peat' could yet be hampered by after-effects from his Aragon crash with Marquez this weekend at Misano.
Bagnaia was very stern and incensed in his assessment of Marquez's riding after a coming together last week took both of them out of the podium fight in Spain, and left Bagnaia trapped under Marquez's Ducati as they skidded towards the gravel.
The rhetoric he had used at that point lent itself easily to the implication that he felt Marquez deliberately caused him to crash, perhaps in an attempt to keep third place at his expense given Bagnaia had been much faster in that phase of the race.
It was an inference Marquez clearly did not appreciate, and while the pair clearly remain at odds in terms of apportioning blame for the crash, Bagnaia had realised quickly that he had conveyed a message he did not want to.
This explains why, both in separate interviews with multiple TV broadcasters and in the official pre-event press conference at Misano today, Bagnaia made a point - sometimes effectively unprompted - to apologise.
"First of all I want to say sorry to Alex for the strong words I said in the interviews after the race," he said in the press conference.
"I was very angry about what happened, and looking at the telemetry was even worse - but I was a bit too strong in my words.
"I didn't want to say that he made me crash on purpose. His defence was a bit aggressive - like is normal when you're fighting for podium positions.
“I still think the same about the incident, but for sure the words I said were a bit too much. I say sorry to Alex."
Bagnaia said he accepted "the same evening, when I was more calm, with a bit less anger" that Marquez did not cause the crash deliberately and that it was counterproductive for him to have left any room for such an interpretation.
"Like I said - I am saying sorry for my words. They were very strong.
"Sometimes anger makes you say something that you don't think."
Clearing the air
Bagnaia and Marquez discussed the incident on Sunday at Aragon - after both were done with their respective media duties - on the latter's initiative, which Bagnaia appreciated.
He hinted they had agreed to disagree, even though in his Sky Italia interview at Misano Bagnaia did make it clear he still wasn't entirely convinced by Marquez's insistence he had not seen Bagnaia coming.
For his part, Marquez told Sky Italia that "it said a lot" about Bagnaia that he was willing to apologise.
"For me it's already a closed topic. We talked privately - but too late, it would've been better to do so before the interviews [on Sunday at Aragon].
"But I have no problem with Pecco or anyone else."
However, Marquez - while describing himself as "thankful" for the apology - added later on: "Also it's true that the damage to my person, to my team, and also to my rider image has been already done."
Useful closure
Time heals all wounds and is particularly adept at removing topics from the agenda, so it's not like Bagnaia and Ducati were going to go into 2025 with the fallout from Aragon still hanging over them.
But Bagnaia's initiative in closing the book on the incident seems a deft move regardless, given the obvious context - that Marquez junior will still also be a Ducati rider in 2025 and 2026, and that Marquez senior - Marc Marquez - will be Bagnaia's team-mate at the works Ducati outfit in both of those seasons.
The elder Marquez sat in the press conference as Bagnaia voiced his apology and didn't betray any obvious reaction, but will have likely appreciated the gesture given he may well be the paddock's biggest Alex fan. He and Bagnaia also had a very cordial conversation in full view of the media in the lead-up to the press conference.
From Bagnaia's side, it also felt like a far cry from his inelegant attempts to move the conversation on from his driving under the influence incident two years ago, albeit that is of course both an incomparably more serious transgression and also something that's probably much more difficult to discuss publicly than some words you regret.
Whether his handling of that matter was on his mind in this one, only he and those closest to him will know.
In trouble for Misano?
In the meantime, Bagnaia arrives to the San Marino Grand Prix fitness-limited for a second year running, and without the championship buffer he had enjoyed this time last year.
Twelve months ago he was hampered by the after-effects of his horrible Barcelona accident when he got to Misano but was at least still 50 points ahead of Jorge Martin in the championship. This time around Bagnaia is 23 points behind.
Though he remarkably avoided any fractures in last weekend's collision, he is not feeling totally right yet - stiff and in pain.
"Physical condition is honestly not the best. I don't feel like I can move my body as I want,” he admitted.
“But it's normal, the impact was very huge. 170kg were on my shoulder, and the hit on the gravel was quite huge. Luckily I didn't break any bones, but the muscles and ligaments are suffering a bit.
"If it'll be possible to recover some points, I will try to do the maximum to do it. If we lose [points], I will try to lose the least possible."
