2023 ended in the best possible way across the board for Pecco Bagnaia. Just over 48 hours ago he secured his second consecutive world title in MotoGP and today he obtained very positive feedback in the collective tests in Valencia. The 11th time at the end of the day should not mislead, because the Ducati rider did not seek performance, thinking above all of evaluating the most important innovation present on his Desmosedici GP, the basis of the 2024 engine.
And from what he said at the end of the day, the balance seems rather positive: “I’m happy with the test because we managed to finish well. The conditions today were not good at all, there was a lot of wind which was annoying. Ducati brought a new engine that runs at least as well as the old one and this is already fantastic. In certain areas I have already found myself better and they are the ones where I had asked for something. We need to improve the delivery, but there is time for that. The 2023 engine was too much sweet, but now you can feel the power again. There wasn’t a better way to go on holiday.”
“It was a very important day and we knew how fundamental it was, because we have been coming away from the November tests for two years with doubts about the new things. In 2021 because we were in Jerez and there were stratospheric conditions, so it had gone very well everything we had tested and then when we arrived at the beginning of 2022 it was all a disaster. Last year we weren’t very convinced about many things after this test and in Malaysia we had to do a lot of work. The new engine is very similar , but already the fact that we have started and in certain areas it is the same is very good. And in certain areas it is better, so I am very happy”, he added.
Today sporting director Paolo Ciabatti praised his ability to direct development in recent seasons. A compliment that the Piedmontese gladly accepted, while reiterating that in reality last winter was anything but simple.
“I’ve always managed to be quite sensitive about many things. Sometimes too much, and perhaps this thing limited me. But for doing tests it’s always a plus, which helps us with the directions to take. The first year I’m when I arrived in the official team the bike was ‘frozen’ due to COVID, so there was nothing to test. When we got to 2022 it was tough, because we had a lot of stuff to test and we weren’t able to finish the work in the tests, we completed in the first race. It was a tough experience, but I think it helped me to be more decisive when I try something”, he explained.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
The theme of the day was without a shadow of a doubt Marc Marquez’s debut on the Ducati, with the eight-time world champion not appearing to have taken too long to find the feeling with the Gresini Racing Desmosedici GP23, given that he was able to sign the fourth half immediately. However, this did not surprise Bagnaia, who had predicted that he would be fast straight away.
“I didn’t see anything. When they announced that he would come to Ducati I said that he would be first today and I wasn’t too wrong, because in the end he finished fourth. But in my opinion he will have fun with our bike.”
Last year he was ill after winning the title, but this time he had the opportunity to celebrate it properly: “Monday was a day of total enjoyment, but I think it will be the same in the next two weeks. We already had fun on Sunday evening , but on Monday I took total relaxation and it was needed.”
And this winter he has not the slightest intention of undergoing the tour de force that was imposed on him 12 months ago to celebrate the title: “On December 2nd I will go to Liverpool for the FIM awards ceremony, then on the 14th and 15th there will be the event Ducati in Bologna. But the rest of the days my phone is turned off and I don’t answer anyone, as the new ‘Call of duty’ has also come out.”
#MotoGP #Bagnaia #engine #asked