Bagnaia, this season, became the first champion since Stoner in 2008 to defend his championship with #1 on 𝓡the front of his bike.

Bagnaia’s maiden title last seas𓄧on was the first for Ducati since 2007 when Stoner was on top of the sport.

“I’m proud that you’re wearing #1,” Stoner told Bagnaia iꦿn a face-to-face chat at Goodwood.

“There seems to b📖e a taboo against wearin🦄g #1. If you’re the world champion then show it with pride.”

Bagnaia replied: “If yo𒆙u have the possibility, it’s the best thing⛦ to do.”

Stoner: “I agree.”

Bagnaia: “Whenꦏ I saw for the first time the pictures of my bike with the #1, it was incredible.”

Stoner: “It’s something you dream of.”

Bagnaia was a young fan in Italy when the 👍manufacturer took the 2007 MotoGP championship through Stoner, their 21-year-old rider.

“I grew up a fan of Ducati,” Bagnaia remembered. “I saw Du🐽cati win for the first time with Casey. I was made for Vale, I was a big fan of Vale’s, but I was so happy for Ducati to win the title. It was Casey winning.”

But times have changed. Stoner might have competed against legends like Valentino Rossi🦹 but he believes that ꦆBagnaia has a harder job today.

“It’s different for Pecco than it was for me,” Stoner said༺. 

“We werཧe une♔xpected, nobody had any expectation of us winning a championship.

“We were very for🍒tunate that year. Everything went in our direction, most of the time.

“Now, everybody has a chance to win, on almost any bi🦋ke or manufacturer in𓄧 the championship.

It makes Pecco’s job much more difficult. 

“For me, Pecco has done a fantastic job in a difficult moment in a MotoGP serieꦕs because of the amount of pressure, and the amount ofඣ people that are able to win.”

Bagnaia came back from a 91-point deficit to pip reigning champion Fabio Quartararo to the 2022 title at the final ro❀und.

“In Valencia was tꦕhe first time that I felt a big, big weight on my𝔉 shoulders,” he now admits.

“It was 🌠15 years without a title. I was feeling it.”

Stoner said: “Every🐓thing was in that moment. It had to g൲o right.”

Bagnaia: “It was easy to commit mistakes. I was not able to go in the front🦂 and go away, my pace wasn’t enough. We made a strategy to block Fabio. I did a bit but the race was a nightmar💞e!”

Bagnaia fini💃shed ninth, Quartarar✱o fourth, enough to give the Italian his first-ever title.

It was a historic moment - Ducati’s first title since 2007, and the first for an Italian r💫ider since Rossi in 2009.

Stoner recalls his own feelings of pressu☂re at his decisive race in 2007: “It was the same for me in Japan. The set-up wasn’t going well in the dry, the bike was a real struggle around Motegi. 

“We didn’t believe we were going to win the title. It was my worst race 👍of the season but we managed to winജ the championship.”

🤡Bagnaia smiled: “The taste is better! In Moto2 I won the title but the feeling is 20%. In Mot🍌oGP it’s another story.”

Bagnaia is three points clear at the top of t🐟he MotoGP standings now, but the momentum is fully with fellow Ducati rider Jorge Martin.