Francesco Bagnaia is indeed close to MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi . However, there were two moments where Bagnaia annoyed his mentor.

Long before becoming a Ducati rider, Bagnaia studied at Rossi’s motorcycle racing academy. The two also competed directly on the racetrack before the Doctor hung up his helmet at the end of the 2021 season.

Pecco Bagnaia and Rossi also have a good relationship off the track. The nine-time world champion often “monitors” the performance of his former protégés, including Bagnaia.

Despite Bagnaia dominating MotoGP in the last two years, Valentino Rossi is not entirely happy. Apparently, Bagnaia had annoyed Rossi after falling in the Catalunya series sprint race last May, and choosing the wrong tire in the 2023 Valencia sprint race, the series that determined the championship.

“The last one, in my opinion, was more than angry. I couldn’t believe it, it was in the sprint race in Barcelona when I crashed on the last lap. At that time I was leading with 0.9 seconds advantage over the rider behind me, with nine corners to go,” said the back-to-back MotoGP world champion.

“But he also understands the dynamics, he knows exactly how racing is. He also knows that we have reached a point where there are no obstacles that can make us fall, whereas before it was different,” added Francesco Bagnaia.

“Another incident was when he got a bit confused in Valencia last year. At that time we decided to use the medium tyre in the sprint race instead of choosing the soft tyre like Martin: when you are in a situation like that you have to mark your rivals,” he added in his interview with MoWmag.