Francesco Bagnaia’s admission: “It was the biggest mistake of my career…”
The reigning MotoGP champion was learning the ropes by battling fellow future champions in the 2012 Spanish CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior Championship.
“I always fought at the top there against Alex Rins and Alex Marquez,” Bagnaia told Speedweek.
“But I realised then that I wasn't ready for the world championship, so I wanted to stay in the Spanish championship for another year."
But Bagnaia instead debuted in Moto3 with Team Italia in 2013, aged 16, enduring 17 miserable races without ever troubling the top 15.
“It was the biggest mistake of my career. I was a Dorna rider and they wanted me in the world championship,” he said.
“Hence this premature step.
“This experience helps me to master difficult situations today.
“Because that's when I learned never to give up.”
Bagnaia rode a Honda and a KTM in his first two Moto3 seasons but a switch in 2015 to Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez's Mahindra team changed everything.
After a spate of podiums he won for the first time at Assen in 2016, then again in Malaysia. He finished fourth that season.
Bagnaia owes gratitude to the old Mahindra team, and says: "Exactly, I check in with Jorge Martinez and the team from time to time.
“They gave me the motivation back then to get back to the top. I am grateful to them for that."
Obviously, Bagnaia’s career sky-rocketed and he won Moto2 in 2018 riding a Sky Racing Team VR46 Kalex.
In his fourth MotoGP campaign as a factory Ducati rider, he became the first rider to win the premier class title for the famous Italian brand since 2007.
