Simoncelli: "Bagnaia’s problems? It’s the VR46 Academy’s fault

Paolo Simoncelli, now 75, appears to be approaching his final retirement. But before definitively stepping down from the role of team principal, he decided to share his thoughts on the MotoGP class. In a recent interview with the Corriere della Sera, he discussed the change of ownership from Dorna to Liberty Media and Pecco Bagnaia.

The arrival of Liberty Media at the helm of MotoGP after the Dorna era has not convinced Marco Simoncelli’s father. For Paolo, the direction the championship is taking risks denaturing the very essence of the Continental Circus in favor of an Americanized spectacle that could overturn its roots.

According to Paolo Simoncelli, the new owners are planning drastic changes to the record books that would wipe out the legacy of many legends in one stroke. "These Americans want to change everything. It seems that nothing we’ve built is right."

The most controversial point of his criticism concerns the official record. The idea that titles from the lower classes should no longer be counted in the official tallies seems like an abomination to him. "They want to remove the titles won in the lower categories from the official record; only those in the premier class count. That way, my son Marco, the Gresinis, or the Nietos would disappear," he explains regretfully. For him, this crosses a red line. "They want to erase history and are only interested in the spectacle. In that case, they might as well put on a circus."

Papa Simoncelli has always praised Marc Marquez, even more so now that he has returned to winning ways in MotoGP after some difficult years. "I knew he was the strongest. I’ve always liked him; he races and thinks like my son—he never gives up and always goes for it."

The sharpest part of his statements came when he spoke about Pecco Bagnaia. Simoncelli believes the Italian suffered a significant mental block under the pressure of having a rival like Marquez with the same equipment. He also points a finger at the VR46 Academy: "He wasn’t prepared for such a strong teammate. Pecco comes from Valentino’s group and, judging by everything that’s said there, he underestimated Marquez."

Bagnaia’s miscalculation, according to Paolo, was relying on consistency after the two MotoGP titles he won in 2022–2023 and the runner-up finish in 2024. "The year before, he had lost the World Championship despite winning 11 races. He thought: ‘I just need to crash less.’ But Marc is a beast on track and he threw him into crisis," Paolo Simoncelli concluded.

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