The reigning MotoGP champion was learning the ropes by battling fellow future champions in the 201🔯2 Spanish CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior Championship.

“I always foꦆught at the top there against Alex Rins and Alex Marquez,” Bagnaia told . 

“But I realised t🐼hen that I wasn't ready for the world chജampionship, so I wanted to stay in the Spanish championship for another year."

But Bagꦚnaia instead debuted in Moto3 with Team Italia in 2013, aged 16, enduring 17 miserable r🌜aces without ever troubling the top 15.

“It was the biggest mistake of my career. I was a Dorna rider and they wanted me in the world championshiꦜp,” he said.

“Hence this premature step.

“Thi🌠s experience helps♈ me to master difficult situations today. 

“Because that's when I learned never to give up.”

Bag🤡naia rode a Honda and a KTM in his first two Moto3 seasons but a switch in 2015 to Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez's Mahindra team changed everything.

After a spate of podiums he won fo♏r the first time at Assen in 2016, the꧋n again in Malaysia. He finished fourth that season.

Bagnaia owes gratitude to the old Mahindra team, and says: "Exactly, I check in with Jorge Martinez and the team from time to t💯ime. 

“Th🤡ey gave me the motivation back then to get back to the 🐲top. I am grateful to them for that."

Ob🐻viously, Bagnaia’s career sky-rocketed and he won Moto2 iꦓn 2018 riding a Sky Racing Team VR46 Kalex.

In his fourth MotoGP campaign as a factory Ducati rider, he 𒁃became the first rider to win t🃏he premier class title for the famous Italian brand since 2007.