Davide Tardozzi: Bagnaia, Martin “on the same level” as Rossi, Stoner, Lorenzo

Ducati MotoGP boss Davide Tardozzi believes Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin are “undervalued” and “on the same level in this era” as the likes of Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner.

Martin and Bagnaia come into this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix split by just 17 points, with officially two rounds remaining - though extreme flooding in Valencia has cast doubt on the final event.

Pramac rider Martin can win the championship at Sepang if he outscores Bagnaia by 21 points this weekend to ensure his lead over the Italian is above 37 points.

Since the pair fought for the title last year, there has been much debate about the quality of their championship battles and where they rank among MotoGP’s greats.

As far as Tardozzi is concerned, Martin and Bagnaia’s level in the modern era is equal to that of the likes of Rossi, Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo in previous years.

“Total respect for the riders mentioned, but on the other hand I think Jorge and Pecco are undervalued from the people,” Tardozzi, who has worked with Rossi, Stoner and Lorenzo over the years, said.

“The riders mentioned: Valentino, Jorge and Casey are incredible champions from another era.

“In this era, there are new champions and the new champions are Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

“I think that those riders, in this era, are on the same level.

“I think those riders are incredibly fast and are managing these kinds of bikes in the proper way. So, I think that they are champions like the past.”

Ducati confirms no team orders for Bastianini

Earlier on Thursday at the Malaysian GP, Enea Bastianini said he was “completely free” to race for himself and not play in a supporting role of his team-mate Bagnaia.

Tardozzi confirmed this, saying: “No, we haven’t spoken with Enea.

“Enea is fighting with Marc for the third position. So, so far each one of them is fighting for his own championship, his own position in the championship.

“Even third is much better than fourth obviously. So, in this moment there are no team orders, no discussion about this battle.”