“It puts a lot of pressure on you,” Pecco Bagnaia stuck between using his original number or shifting to #1 for next year


“It puts a lot of pressure on you,” Pecco Bagnaia stuck between using his original number or shifting to #1 for next year

Pecco Bagnaia at testing in Valencia

Ducati finally has a new king and he is none other than Pecco Bagnaia as the Italian rider went on to win the 2022 MotoGP world championship at the title deciding season finale at Valencia. The team and the fans were teary eyed after witnessing this spectacle. Just like Formula 1, after every year when a champion is announced, they get the choice of using the #1 on their bike.

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You are only entitled to this if you win the championship. With Pecco winning the rider’s championship this year, he has the choice to either stick with his original number (63) or choose to run #1 for the 2023 season which is an interesting opportunity. However there is no pressure posed on the driver to choose quickly but the Italian is surely taking his time to analyse both his options for next year.

Pecco Bagnaia has made his mark in the history of the sport and also in the books of Ducati as he went on to win their first riders championship in 15 whole years. The last one to do it was Casey Stoner who achieved the feat back in 2007. Since then, it has been a pretty long wait. When it comes to the choice of numbers, Pecco will be faced with a tough decision as world champion.

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Pecco Bagnaia cannot decide whether to stick with #63 or move to #1

Pecco Bagnaia motogp
Pecco Bagnaia

The Italian rider had this to say when he was asked about it in the press after the Valencia MotoGP test. “I am happy to have this kind of problem, but honestly it is something I have to think a lot about. Because it’s true that not everyone can wear the number one, but having the number one puts a lot of pressure on you. But I’ve always been fascinated by riders with the number one. So let’s see. It’s hard to choose,” he said.

It has been a humongous year for Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati as they went on to win the championship in the premier class category. An Italian rider on an Italian bike. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of. With the Valencia test concluded, the drivers can rest a bit in the winter but money’s on the line stating that they can’t wait to get back into the track action for 2023.

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