Bagnaia crashed out of the lead of the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas, also co♍sting himself the l🐻ead in the championship.

It was a disastrouꦚs reminder of last season when Bagnaia failed to finish five times, although he recovered to claim a ma🔜iden title.

“I’m a big fan of his, he’s very fast and he pushes ha💖rd,” MotoGP legend Rainey, a three-time champion, said.

“Sometimes I know he falls, but what he did last year? To com✱e from so far back in the points to charౠge and win all those races…

“He has taken that Ducati and is getting everything he can out⛄ of it. He has the factory seat, so if there is any advantage from the equipment, I think he has the best package.

“But there are a lot of good riders out there. There𒆙 are a lot of good Ducatis.

“Bastian🎃ini is coming - ‘The Beast’! He wants to show th♍at ‘I need to be the guy’.

“✃It will be a good rivalry aܫs it unfolds. Then there is everybody else.

“He will feel the pressure, there will be a lot of riders nipping at him. It will be fun to wﷺatch.”

Bagnaia’s factory Ducati teammate Bastian♈ini is expected to mak𝓡e his return from injury at the fourth round in Jerez on April 30.

His step-up from Gresini to the factory team got off to the most unfortunate possible star𒈔t when, in the first-ever sprint race which Bagnaia won, Bastianini was wiped out by a fellow Ducati rider, Luca Marini.

He avoided surgery on a broken shoulder blade but has missed all th🌺ree grands prix as a result, and is stuck on zero points, 64 behin🔯d championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.

The r🐭ivalry between the two factory Ducati riders was a key theme 🙈heading into 2023 but, due to Bastianini’s early crash, it hasn’t yet begun.

Now Bastianini is set to return at a time w🤡hen Bagnaia may feel at his most vulnerable, after a seemingly unforced crash in America.