Bagnaia at the MotoGP world countdown: "Valencia, here I am"

"It's race week, here we go".

Francesco Bagnaia's tweet is the signal that the countdown to Valencia has started in his head, at the last weekend of a season of the MotoGP world championship which, however it ends, will remain memorable.

He and Fabio Quartararo arrive at the Spanish grand final divided by 23 points and the French, outgoing champion, has no alternative: to win or sell the title to Pecco, who will also have Valentino Rossi cheering for the occasion.

Without Quartararo on the top step of the podium, Bagnaia could even afford not to finish the race.

    The Turin player has seven victories on his side, against the opponent's three.

Each is a step that allowed it to go up from -91 to +23.

He can become the first Ducati rider to conquer MotoGP in 15 years.

It would be the crowning glory of a splendid triptych of titles: Constructors, Teams and Drivers.

Last year Bagnaia won in Valencia and therefore that circuit will not be an unwelcome place to celebrate the new world champion.

    In the blue corner of Yamaha, Quartararo's year was largely consistent with his style.

Few mistakes, some impressive victories and, to a certain extent, the only Yamaha to score manufacturer points every weekend.

The missteps in Thailand and then again in Australia looked like the sign of a falling flag, but El Diablo never gave up.

The first match point was played in Sepang Bagnaia.

Instead Quartararo, despite a fracture in the finger of his left hand, pulled out a third place that was enough to postpone the showdown for two weeks.

    Valencia is probably not his favorite track, but for the Japanese manufacturer and its top driver it is no longer time for recriminations.

Zero pressure and nothing to lose ... now the performance anxiety is all on the shoulders of the Italian.

The duelists will be surrounded by a grid of pilots each with their own goals to achieve.

A third of them, all those sitting on a Ducati, will receive a message - more or less subliminal - clear: don't get in the way of the title.

Recipients Jack Miller, Enea Bastianini, Johann Zarco, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Luca Marini and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Zarco has already stated that he will not be the one to create problems, Martin has not been unbalanced.

Miller, from next year with KTM, will certainly not want to leave bad memories.

    Perhaps the biggest unknown is Bastianini, Bagnaia's teammate in 2023.

Ducati, for its part, has assured that it has not sent team orders until now.

Bagnaia repeated that he wanted to win on the track, not by orders from above.