Francesco Bagnaia is still a title candidate for Paolo Ciabatti

At Assen, Francesco Bagnaia ended his drought period by returning to the top step of the podium. A result which allows him to get back into the lead after these two disappointments in quick succession in Catalonia and then in Germany. The icing on the cake was that while Pecco triumphed, the championship leader made a mistake. One more reason for Paolo Ciabatti, the sporting director of Ducati Corse, to always believe in the chances of his protégé.

« Francesco scored a magnificent victory and at the same time Fabio made a mistake: the gap between the two was suddenly reduced to 66 points. It’s still a lot, but it’s still doable, says the manager of the Italian manufacturer. If the competition is still open? Of course it is, as long as we still have our chances mathematically. " While the MotoGP begins his summer break before the calendar resumes at Silverstone (August 7), Francesco Bagnaia is 66 units behind the Frenchman.

A complicated start to the 2022 financial year for Bagnaia

The Italian owes this gap in part to his start to the 2022 season. Over the first five races, the Ducati rider's best result remained a 5th place acquired in Argentina and the United States. “ At the start of the year, we struggled because the bike wasn't quite ready. That said, there are still nine races and plenty of points to be awarded. Pecco is a talented driver, with an enormous capacity for introspection which allowed him to find the strength to return to the forefront », explains Paolo Ciabatti.

Although the Ducati Corse manager recognizes that the scenario of the Dutch Grand Prix helped his rider, victory was not guaranteed to him. “The accident between Fabio and Aleix certainly made things easier. Pecco then only had to manage to finish ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, the other good surprise of this weekend. » With this 4th success of the season, Francesco Bagnaia can now look forward to the second part of the championship. There are still 9 rounds left for the Italian to make up for his deficit, which means that there is still a long way to go before knowing the name of the next winner.

ALSO READ > Should we really count on Bagnaia in the fight for the title?