The Ducati rider scored his third sprint/grand prix double of the 2023 campaign last time out in Austria, after dominating at the Red Bull Ring.
It has given him a huge lead in the standings ahead of this weekend’s 11th round of the campaign in Barcelona, with Bagnaia 91 points adrift at the same stage of the 2022 season after five DNFs.
While Bagnaia has three non-scores to his credit on Sundays in 2023 and one in a sprint, he has generally been mistake-free since the early portion of the championship and is punishing the inconsistency of his rivals.
On Thursday at the Catalan GP, a number of other frontrunners were asked to comment on Bagnaia’s strengths in 2023.
His fellow Ducati riders, Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi, both highlighted how strong Bagnaia is on the brakes – while the latter noted that he is always able to make the difference somewhere on a circuit.
“He wins! No, it’s complicated,” Martin said. “It’s not only one thing, there are a lot of different things. Sometimes I’m a bit better somewhere, sometimes he’s a bit better in other places. I think normally he is braking [strong]. I’m getting closer, but he’s unbelievable in braking.”
Source: Autosport