Earlier this week in an interview with Italian television, eight-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez made his predictions for the remainder of the 2021 season, adamant that, the way he sees the year playing out, there are two now two prime candidates to fight to take the title.
“I think the championship will be between [Fabio] Quartararo and [Francesco] Bagnaia,” said the Repsol Honda rider.
“Bagnaia is strong, he is constant and does not have the pressure of having to win the world championship by force, like [Joan] Mir in 2020.
“Quartararo is fast, he has speed but the decline he suffered last year is strange. If he keeps his head constant, he can win.”
That’s not a remarkable prediction to make, all things considered, with the pair of them currently only one point apart at the top of the standings after five races, and more than 10 points clear of their next contender – Johann Zarco – in third.
And enticingly, we might get treated to something special today at the Italian Grand Prix when the pair get their first chance of the season to really go head-to-head for the win as they start alongside each other on the front row.
With Quartararo and Bagnaia having also been the top two in the pre-qualifying FP4 and separated by mere hundredths of a second on their predicted long run pace, it’ll be fascinating to see how the race plays out – especially now that one of Yamaha’s big hindrances of the season has been slightly nullified.
Following the long-awaited debut of Yamaha’s front suspension launch control device this weekend, The Race’s sources in Yamaha have hinted that the riders are in love with it – with Ducati’s previously-significant advantage off the line reduced to almost nothing during practice starts at Mugello this weekend.
And despite Ducati enjoying a considerable speed advantage over the Yamaha at Mugello with its long fast straight, we’ve already seen this year that Quartararo can take the fight to the Italian brand even when he’s handicapped by his bike, after charging his way through the pack to win the second race of the year in Qatar.
With the two so close on paper, it isn’t just fans who are excited about the prospect of the pair going head-to-head, with Bagnaia admitting himself yesterday after qualifying second to Quartararo that he wants to take on his former Moto2 rival on MotoGP machinery.
“I hope that it’s just two, because more than that is too much,”he said. “I think looking at FP4 four or five riders have great pace, but that I’m a little faster with used tyres. But the grip is always different in the race, so we’ll wait to see.
“It would be nice to have a battle with Fabio and I – I need to get revenge for the battle at Motegi in 2018!”
Ironically, that race at Motegi (pictured above) is actually one that Bagnaia is officially the winner of, after Quartararo was disqualified from what was only his second-ever grand prix victory for irregular tyre pressure – but clearly that’s not enough to satiate Bagnaia’s lust for revenge.
However, the pair might not get things entirely their own way when the lights go out this afternoon, with a number of their rivals also looking set to get involved in the scrap. Suzuki rider Alex Rins seems to have similar pace, and we’re well-aware that his team-mate and reigning world champion Joan Mir is always capable of finding something a little extra on Sunday.
LCR Honda rider Taka Nakagami – who has topped the Sunday warm-up – also seems to have something in the bag that should let him get involved in the fight for the podium, with his race pace hinting that he’s potentially capable of following the leading group.
The same applies to KTM rider Brad Binder, who’s found something special at Mugello thanks to a new chassis for the RC16. The South African is always capable of delivering a race day surprise, and a much-needed second-row starting position could well launch him into podium contention as well.
And of course, it’s impossible to rule out Bagnaia’s teammate Jack Miller, who has won the last two races of the year. On paper a little bit off the pace of his fellow contenders, he’ll be desperate to make a good start from fifth – and if he can get to the front, there’s a chance he can deliver an Andrea Dovizioso-style Ducati performance by controlling the pace.
