The angry gesture and the ‘cat and mouse’ game - Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez explain
Bagnaia first noticed Mar𝕴quez just a few metres behind him, sitting up and actually turning his head around to look at his rival.
Suspecting th𒈔e Repsol Honda rider’s intentions, the factory Ducati rider slowed and let him pass.
Marquez then slowed and t✃urned his head around to stare at Bagnaia.
Marquez slowed down considerably, Bagnaia threw up his 🤪hand in frustration then ended their cat and mouse game by returning to the pits.
When Bagnaia returned with seven minutes left,♑ he glared at th🌳e Honda garage.
Marquez went back out soon after.
Both were in the top 10 in P2 befo🔯re explaining their sides to an odd exchange.
“Honestly, this time I🐟 didn’t look for anybody,” Marquez claimed.
“I was running alone with the first tyre.
“Pecco came out from the box and did a ꦯvery sl💮ow outlap. Then, he was in front.
“But I was not waiting.
“Here, alone, I feel OK. I feel strong.
“I didn’t want to pu🤪sh in front. He didn’t want to push in front.
“He went in the box. Then I pu♎shed, I didn’t make a good ꦏlap.
“But here, I feel OK. It is not so important, ♍the slipstream.”
Bagnaia ♑reac♉ted to the events: “I was struggling a bit. I was thinking that Marc was close.
“I decided to not let him be behind me.
“ꦐI knew that I was already 🀅at the limit to pass. If he was behind, for sure he was trying to be in front.
“Finally, he is in fr🌠ont. T👍he same, because he was behind Aleix Espargaro.
“I just decided because I was at the limit.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a𒊎 decade covering everything fr🅠om American sports, to football, to F1.
