Yesterday he didn’t go around it too much: if he wants to keep the MotoGP World Championship still open, Pecco Bagnaia knows that in Misano he must try to win in every way, because the 52 points behind Fabio Quartararo do not allow for calculations. A month ago, the Ducati driver dominated in Romagna with pole and fastest lap. Today, however, the weekend of the Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix started a bit more uphill, because with the wet track he was unable to do better than the eighth time.
In the head of the Piedmontese, however, no alarm bells have sounded, because the conviction is that he has an excellent pace even in these conditions and that the only thing he missed is the time attack. After all, all the Ducatis proved to be very competitive, with Jack Miller and Johann Zarco monopolizing the top two positions.
“The feeling with the bike is good, but compared to a month ago the temperature is lower and the tires need a few more laps to work well. But it’s not a problem, it’s just something different. Today we saw that our potential in the wet is high, even if Miller and Zarco have something more right now. In FP2 I couldn’t complete a good lap, because I made several mistakes, so my ideal time was six tenths lower. just work a little, but the feeling is good, “said Bagnaia at the end of the day.
On the other hand, his rival Quartararo seems to suffer a lot from the wet, even if it is mainly his Yamaha that struggles. The Frenchman is only 16th, so Pecco was asked if maybe it’s not worth hoping for rain for the rest of the weekend.
“I’m sure Fabio will be with the best on Sunday, so I’m just thinking about working on myself, trying to be as constant as possible, because today my pace was very good, one of the fastest, but I couldn’t make the time. In the dry, I know that my potential is higher, but the Yamahas certainly struggle more in the wet. But I can only work to be fast in all conditions. “
With all the Ducatis very competitive, there could be an opportunity to try and do some team play, even if this is an option that doesn’t seem to like Pecco too much.
“I really hope that doesn’t happen, because I was already massacred enough last time, without actually having anything decided before. I just have to be focused on doing my best, as I was doing in Austin. Then they will have to. see if to do something and how. Jack and I are still playing for second place in the World Championship, so if he goes faster than me I don’t think there will be team orders. “
Finally, the Ducatista also intervened on the age limit that in 2023 will be raised to 18 for entry into the World Championship. A choice that the FIM made in light of too many fatal accidents that occurred this year in the training categories. According to Bagnaia, however, this does not seem the right key to change something.
“I don’t think it changes much from 16 to 18. Now they’ll have to wait two more years to get to the World Cup, but I think 16 was already a right threshold if a kid is ripe for it. 18 maybe a little bit ‘too many “.
At this point he was asked what would be the right thing to do in his opinion and it must be said that the # 63 has not turned around too much.
“It would be enough to do as they did with Oncu last time, giving real penalties. In the end, the only way to learn is this. Maybe you can make him lose 20 minutes of shift, but it will never help. at home two races, you understand that you no longer have to do certain things. But already in practice you should have this meter, not only in the race. You shouldn’t punish only in case of falls, you have to try to prevent the problem and not act later “.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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