Reigning MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia confirms he will use #1 for 2023

Francesco Bagnaia is the reigning MotoGP World Champion and intends to exercise his right to use #1 for 2023

Reigning MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia confirms he will use #1 for 2023

Franceco Bagnaia Via The Race

In a recently leaked picture, Reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia confirmed he will be using #1 for his title defense. Remarkably, Bagnaia will become the first rider since Casey Stoner in 2012 to use #1 as the reigning World Champion. Notably, Bagnaia won the 2022 MotoGP World Title for Ducati Corse, becoming the first Italian rider to win a premier class championship since Valentino Rossi in 2009.

Ducati Corse achieved the motorbike triple crown in 2022. Ducati won both the MotoGP titles with Francesco Bagnaia and the World Superbike title with Alvaro Bautista. 2022 marked Ducati’s first MotoGP double World Championship since 2007. Over the winter, fans have expected both the riders to use #1, in an attempt for Ducati to showcase their successes after a long interval.

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Traditionally, in motorsport, the reigning World Champion is given the opportunity to use #1 instead of their usual racing number. This signifies the magnitude of their performance in the previous year. #1 is symbolic of their championship position and also re-establishes the fact that they have been a class apart in their hunt for the title.

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Monster Energy partners with Ducati Corse

Franceco Bagnaia
Franceco Bagnaia

Bagnaia’s use of #1 was revealed accidently by Ducati’s social media account. Although the post was soon taken down, fans have welcomed the change with open arms. The fans are ecstatic to witness #1 back on the grid after a decade long absence. Ducati is likely to formally announce the change tomorrow. Notably, Formula One fans witnessed something similar when Max Verstappen announced he would be using #1 in 2022, following his maiden World Championship triumph. The last driver to use #1 in F1 was Sebastian Vettel in 2014.

In the picture, Bagnaia is seen wearing his 2023 race suit. Fans on the internet were quick to point out the addition of a new sponsor to the Ducati list. Monster Energy will be a major sponsor for the Ducati factory team in the 2023 season. Monster is already a title sponsor to the Yamaha Racing team and appears to be expanding its roster of talent in the MotoGP paddock.

While the 2022 MotoGP World Champion has been on an upward trajectory since he made his MotoGP debut in 2019, he has never been in a position of such success. It will be captivating to observe if Bagnaia can cope with the pressure of being the reigning World Champion and successfully defend his title.

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