Everyone indicates him as the great favourite, and not only because there is the number 1 on the front fairing of his Ducati, but Pecco Bagnaia does not want to fall back on the mistakes of 2022. These days, before the start of the season, the underdogs were for him even a year ago, but to respect these forecasts he had to pull off a sensational comeback in the second part of the World Cup, because the start had been one to forget.
It is true that the pre-season was also very different, however, and in fact the reigning world champion did not hide his satisfaction with the work done in the press conference that opened the weekend of the Portuguese Grand Prix, the inaugural race of the MotoGP 2023.
“I’m honestly very happy with our pre-season, because a year ago we were in trouble at the start of the season, while this year the tests went perfectly and we learned from our mistakes. The new bike is better for my riding style. driving and since I tested it in Malaysia I immediately felt great: everything went perfectly,” said Bagnaia.
“Here in the tests we had time to improve the race pace and it’s quite clear that we’re in a better position than the others. However, I’m sure that Yamaha took a step forward on the last day of the tests, but Marquez will also be ahead, not as soon as he has finished the job with the new bike, with the Aprilias and with Enea’s Ducati, so there are many opponents for the first race. With the new format we will see who will be in front from the beginning of the weekend,” he added.
A little help could also come from the fact that we start in Portimao, a track that he has always appreciated: “Starting in Europe already changes, then doing it here, which is a track that I really like, is certainly something that helps us: not only it’s a track that suits me, but we also manage to get the Ducati to work well”.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
In recent weeks he has reiterated several times how much the Desmosedici GP23 is a bike that is already more suited to his characteristics than the GP22 was, despite the fact that this had led him to conquer the title.
“I lacked a little turning last year and it was a bit of a mix of things. The GP22 didn’t work very well at the start and we had to take a step back. It was certainly a very competitive bike, but something was missing This year I think the engineers have worked hard to give me what I was missing. As soon as I tested the bike in Valencia, it immediately seemed good to me in the first test after the last race, and here in Portimao it already seemed like a step forward. huge: we have more speed in the corners, plus I can lean the bike more in the faster corners and that’s what I was asking”.
When he was then asked to describe his riding style, he continued: “It’s difficult to say. I brake very hard, then I carry a lot of speed into corners. Last year’s bike moved too much to me and that made it difficult for me to corner it and get it to turn. The biggest change was that for me and that’s what suits my style of the new bike.”
Pointing out that everyone sees him as the favourite, while smiling at it, he made it clear that he will do everything in his power to confirm himself, even if it won’t be easy: “Marc (Marquez) and Vale (Rossi) won many titles, and they are the only ones who have managed to repeat themselves, so you have to work like them if you want to pursue this goal.We have to respect the opponents, but at the same time try to always keep concentration high, because all the riders will want to try to steal me the number 1 that I wear on my windshield. But if we work well, I’m convinced that we will be able to defend the title. It certainly won’t be easy, but we’re there.”
Among other things, for now he’s not experiencing having the number 1 as extra pressure: “Having the number 1 is something I like, it’s only right that the world champion has it. I’ll do everything possible to keep it. I see it a lot as a motivation, but we’ll see along the way if it will always be like this.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
One of the most relevant innovations of this season is the new format, which provides for the introduction of the Sprint Race, which will significantly increase the commitment for the pilots, given that there will be no less than 42 races to be held this year.
“The strategy and the way we work will change a bit, because there will be more time in FP2, but we’ll already have to try the time attack to get into Q2. I did a Sprint Race simulation and I felt good, but it takes a different approach, because you have to push like crazy without considering rear tire wear too much. I think that after three or four races we’ll better understand how to work and how to approach the weekend.”
“Before making hasty judgments, I’d like to try it to understand if it’s something that can go well or not. When I tried it in the tests, it was tough, because I was already quite tired and I did two in a row. But we’ll see. they will be circuits where you should consider doing fewer laps, because the Sprint is a very tight race, where you push less. On a track like Austin, for example, it could be a problem for the Sunday race,” he added.
In any case, he believes it could be a healthy change for MotoGP’s popularity: “I think a change was needed. We need to demonstrate that we are a top-level championship and so it’s good that there are some changes. they may scare you a bit, but I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
Finally, a question about his new garage neighbor, Enea Bastianini, couldn’t be missing, who arrived with great expectations to take the place of Jack Miller, with whom there was now a very consolidated relationship. Pecco, however, he seems convinced that he can also work well with his compatriot.
“We are both intelligent enough to understand that if you work well in the garage, performance can translate into excellent results in the race. It is clear that it is different from the relationship I had with Jack Miller, because we also knew each other better as teammates. But I’ve also known Enea for a long time and our relationship is pretty good even off the track. It’s different because he’s never worked like this with his teammate. I’m sure that in the race we’ll be free to do whatever we want. but in practice it will be important to improve together to find ourselves in a better position on Sunday”.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: MotoGP
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