MotoGP | Bagnaia doesn't hide: “My mission is to make three of a kind!”

He is the reigning two-time world champion and was the protagonist of an enviable winter, in which he set new track records in both Malaysia and Qatar. With this business card, it is inevitable that Pecco Bagnaia has arrived in Lusail, where the first round of the 2024 MotoGP will take place this weekend, with the great favorites.

As if that wasn't enough, the Piedmontese also had the opportunity to write down his renewal with Ducati until 2026 at the beginning of this week, so he will be able to start the World Championship with great serenity, focusing only on the performance and growth of the new Desmosedici GP24, which in any case seems to have been born very well indeed.

“What I can say is that we arrived here in good shape. We worked very well during the tests and managed to do the work we had planned. My feeling on the new bike is certainly good, even though we only did five days of testing , so we need to run again, but apparently this year's bike is very competitive”, said Bagnaia in the press conference that opened the Qatar GP.

“I am very happy and the fact of having renewed the contract is clearly something very important both for me and for Ducati, because it will allow me to focus exclusively on our results,” he added.

Its renewal was one of the points of interest in the chat with the media, with Pecco explaining that it was almost natural to find an agreement to continue with the Bolognese manufacturer, with which he made his debut in MotoGP and then became champion .

“We started talking about the renewal last year and we were all going in the same direction: I wanted Ducati and Ducati wanted me. Then we also had the time to do it without being put under pressure by the press. We both did our job , so in the end it was easy and we are all happy with this new contract. It wasn't that difficult.”

Having won two titles doesn't seem to have changed anything for Bagnaia, who assured: “I just want to continue doing what I love to do. The ambition is the same and the work in the garage is the same. The work at home has even increased It will always be like this and I want to continue in this way.”

With his second title he wrote a page in history, because before him only Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez had won two in a row in the MotoGP era. The hat trick would be even more sensational, but the goal can only be that when you put the number 1 on the top fairing.

“Three is better than two, so I'll try. I'll try to do my best, because my mission is to win again. The bike's performance is there, the team is fantastic, so if we work well we have the chance to win. So, let's keep our heads down and push hard to try to confirm ourselves as champions again.”

At the top of the list of possible obstacles on the way to the trio, many put Marc Marquez, who after 11 years left Honda to join Gresini Racing's Ducati. On this front, however, the Italian rider still remains very cautious: “We'll see, we're all here to fight and to find out who the main contender will be. He certainly has a fast bike and he's Marc Marquez, so we'll see.”

Thinking about winter, the Italian driver also underlined how complicated it has become to recharge the batteries during the winter break, which is increasingly shorter in the face of a season that has become even more demanding with the introduction of the Sprints last year.

“It was a nice winter. Short, but nice. It's difficult today to switch off after the season, because there are many events to participate in and you also have to train, because there's little time to rest before getting back on the bike. In the end I only stopped for two weeks, but I enjoyed every moment: I went to Mexico and it was fantastic, but as soon as I came back I started training again. Today it's difficult to stay at this level without always staying focused on what you have to do ago. The Sprints have also increased the work to be done at home, so the feeling is that the break is also a little too short.”

Finally, it was pointed out to him that Maverick Vinales revealed that he had lost 4kg, explaining that he believes this could be a great benefit especially when it comes to tire management. Something that actually seems to have left him rather perplexed.

“I gained 4kg (laughs). I finished the season weighing 64kg and then I went up to 68kg, but now I'm back to my previous weight. We'll ask Maverick, but I think one has to be at his best in the end. possible form to also have the strength necessary to compete in all the World Championship races”, he concluded.