The angry gesture and the ‘cat and mouse’ game - Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez explain
Bagnaia first noticed Marq🌄uez just a few metres behind him, sitting up and actually turning his head around to look at 🙈his rival.
Suspecting the Repsᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚol Honda rider’s intention🌳s, the factory Ducati rider slowed and let him pass.
Marquez then slowed and turned his head around to stare 𝓀at Bagnaia.
Marquez slowed down considerably, Bagnaia threw♕ up his hand in frustration then ended th🦄eir cat and mouse game by returning to the pits.
Wh🅰en Bagnaia returned with seven minutes left, he glared at the Honda 🍨garage.
Marquez went back out soon after.
Both were in the top 10 in P2 before explaining👍 their sides to an odd exchange.
“Honestly, this time🦋 I didn’t look for anybody,” Marquez🌱 claimed.
“I was running alone with the first tyre.
“Pecco came out from the box and🌳 did a very slow outlap. Then, ﷽he was in front.
“But I was not waiting.
“Here, alone, I feel OK. I feel strong.
“I𝓰 didn’t want to push in front. He didn’t w𒀰ant to push in front.
“He went in the bo🅠x. Then I pushed, I didn’t make a good lap.
“But here, I feel OK. It is not so important, the slipstreaꦅm.”
Bagnaia reacted to the events: ⛎“I was struggling a bit. I was thinking that Marc was cl🐎ose.
“I decided to not let him be behind me.
“I knew that I was already at the limit to pass.♛ If he was behind, for sure he was trying to be in front.
“Finally, he is in🐼 front.꧑ The same, because he was behind Aleix Espargaro.
“I just decided because I was at the limit.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade cover💎ing everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
