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INTERVIEW I 2023 MOTOGP CHAMPION PECCO BAGNAIA P72 from my mistakes. Last year, I think that I was ready. But this year, I started, and in the second and third races, I made the same mistake as last year. I think every year it's a process to improve ourselves and myself. So, we have to keep going like this." THE ENEMY WITHIN In 2022, Bagnaia's chief op- ponent was on a visibly inferior machine. While his 95-point reversal made history as Mo- toGP's greatest-ever comeback, Fabio Quartararo and his aging, underpowered Yamaha M1 couldn't really offer up much resistance once the Ducati man had found his groove. Yet this time around, his nem- esis was closer to home. And as Martin was on the exact same equipment all year long, with aerodynamic and start device upgrades arriving at the same time, Bagnaia had no excuse. The threat of getting beaten by a rider in a satellite outfit heightened the stakes. And with Ducati pooling the data of all eight riders at the close of every day, there was no hiding place. "Last year Fabio started very well, but as soon as I started to win, he was in trouble," Bagnaia recalled. "He was so fast, but his bike was not giving to him the possibility to fight against me. We were in a different situa - tion. This year after Barcelona, Jorge started to take much more confidence in himself. He started gaining points every weekend, and he was difficult to stop. Then I crashed in India when I was in front of him, which for sure was a plus in his comeback. "So, this was a more difficult year, honestly. Sharing data is useful but also more stressful sometimes. I remember many races that I was more competitive or both sides [were similar], or he was more competitive. I saw his data. He was seeing my data. We were improving in the same way. For sure, it was very difficult." Bagnaia's means of victory in 2022 were leading from the front, defending from there, and winning out by the narrowest of margins (never more than 0.635s). This year, we saw a combative streak added to his mantle, as witnessed in his epic scrap with the factory KTMs at Jerez, and that brilliant come - back in Indonesia. And he memorably faced off with Martin on various occa- sions throughout the year, their head-to-head at the Sachsenring a first sign of what was to come. "In the end, they were basically at the same level," said Ciabatti. "That race would've been super boring without the two of them having that fantastic battle." While Martin got one over him in the Thai GP, as well as the Qatari and Valencian Sprints, Bagnaia still found ways to outscore his adversary in each of the final three rounds. BOUNCING BACK While Martin's late-season speed was unquestionable, it's worth pointing out that the num- ber-one was recovering from what could have been a career- ending crash in the months of September and October. His swift return to action five days after a horrifying smash in Barcelona, where Brad Binder ran over his right leg, showed he had the grit to match the speed. Rather than a particular win this year, it was this remarkable Bagnaia is now a three-time World Champion, including Moto2 (2018).