Francesco Bagnaia is experiencing a real golden moment, with two consecutive victories won between Aragon and Misano and a third place last Sunday in Austin, where he also signed his third pole position in a row.
However, the Ducati rider finished just behind his rival Fabio Quartararo, seeing his lead in the standings grow to 52 points. This therefore means that the Yamaha rider will have his first world championship match point when MotoGP returns to Misano for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
In the last MotoE race, at Misano three weeks ago, Dominique Aegerter made contact with Jordi Torres and had won the title. The Swiss, however, was subsequently penalized for the maneuver, which cost him the champion crown, which remained on the Spaniard’s head for the second consecutive year.
When asked if the only option for him now is to attempt aggressive maneuvers against the Quartararo, Bagnaia said: “I’m only here to try to bridge this gap that seems impossible to close”.
“I’m more relaxed than Fabio, I think, because he has to think about the championship. I just have to think about being as competitive as possible. I’m not saying that Fabio isn’t relaxed, but I think I can feel more comfortable.”
“I’m definitely not going to do something like Aegerter, because if you have the chance to overtake, you just pass. And if you don’t, it’s too risky to try. There are not 7-8 points between us, but more than 50, so I don’t think it’s something I have to do. “
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Dorna
Bagnaia then added: “For sure I will not give up, but Fabio did a great job this year. He was the best at the beginning and then he is the one who has remained the most constant, so he is really a great rider. So, he will definitely have the chance. to win the World Cup “.
“We know where we have lost these points, so in these last few races we are doing a great job, which is helping us to improve and learn. We are more competitive, but Fabio is doing a great job.”
After the Austin podium, referring to the first match point in Misano, Quartararo said: “I don’t need to be obsessed with winning the title, I will approach the race like any other”.