VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P73
comeback that caught Ciabatti's
eye. "The following races, he had
to cope with a very difficult situa-
tion physically. We didn't see the
full potential of Bagnaia. When
you come to Misano one week
later after that crash, completely
battered and bruised and you
had a KTM on your leg, I think
it's already a miracle he could do
both races and finish third."
"In Barcelona it was tough, very
tough," Bagnaia remembered. "It
was already a big, big crash, but
then Brad (Binder), rode over my
legs, and it was even more scary.
I was lucky that Enea [Bastianini]
crashed in the first corner and
took out another five riders so I
was very lucky.
"I prepared everything to be
ready in Misano, but even still, I
wasn't prepared. I couldn't move
my knee, but, luckily, I managed
to race, and the two podiums
helped me to try and be focused
only on the championship. It was
a very difficult moment, but it
was a good lesson to improve
myself," he reflected.
And that wasn't all. In October,
Bagnaia revealed he had been
carrying niggling injuries for
months before the Barcelona fall.
"In the Le Mans crash, I broke the
[talus bone in the right] foot and
the wrist. When you take painkill
-
ers, you don't feel anything, but
in the days after, you start to not
feel so good. I raced in Mugello,
and everything went okay, but
we arrived to Sachsenring, all left
corners—I started to have prob
-
lems with the ligaments in my
hand. That was also a problem."
Only in Indonesia did he feel
fully recovered. Another reason to
argue why he had fully earned it.
(Above) This year's championship came down to the final round. Bagnaia
won the race while title rival Martin crashed out. (Right) Bagnaia is the first rider
from Valentino Rossi's VR46 Riders Academy to win the MotoGP title.
MARGIN TO
GET BETTER
After his success in 2022, crew
chief Gabarrini said he had
only unlocked half of Bagnaia's
potential. And there is more to
come, especially as his second
championship year in MotoGP
was far from perfect. The title
could have been out of Martin's
