After being the star of the MotoGP winter tests, shattering the track records both in Sepang and Lusail, Pecco Bagnaia would certainly have expected a different start to his 2024 season. The two-time reigning world champion immediately suffered a problem on his Ducati in the first free practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix and then, surprisingly, the rain also complicated his life, making the second session wet.
“It wasn't the start I would have expected. This morning my feeling wasn't the best. I mean, my feeling was good, it's something else that didn't work. But this can happen too. In fact, it had already happened , but I hope we have resolved everything”, said Bagnaia when it was time to take stock of his Friday, which ended with the tenth fastest time.
“It was better not to put on a new tyre, because we already knew our potential thanks to the tests. We just wanted to identify which bike I liked best, because there was a small change, and we managed to do it. We were still in the top ten, but I expected to do a normal FP2 to regain our speed. Thanks to the work in the tests, however, this day shouldn't be a problem, we just need a little more luck tomorrow”, he added.
The unexpected arrival of rain in the middle of the desert led to a change to the weekend's format, because the evening session was used to evaluate the wet track under artificial lights and direct access to Q2 will be up for grabs in the evening session free tomorrow. According to Pecco, if you have to race in the wet, the problem can above all be the dirt that is kicked up by the bikes.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Honestly, I didn't expect it. In fact, I would have preferred to do a normal session because this morning we weren't exactly in the best situation. But this happens too and at least for once we were able to see what it's like to ride at night in the wet. The lights are a bit annoying, but the grip isn't bad. More than anything you can't understand how much water there is on the track. Then it's so dirty that when you're behind someone after three laps you can't see anymore, so this could be a problem. problem, but we will definitely talk about it later in the safety commission.”
When he was then asked if the day's progress made him nervous, he continued: “No nervousness, but I'm certainly not happy, because I'm used to always being in front. In FP2 it was the first outing they did in the wet with the new bike and I wasn't too happy with it. But we took a path that wasn't the right one. With hindsight, we should have gone in the other direction. There will hardly be any other wet sessions to do here though”, he added on the wet round, closed out of the top 10.
Tomorrow will be a particularly challenging day, because not only will there be qualifying and the Sprint, but we will have to gain direct access to Q2 in a session that has been extended to 45 minutes. According to Bagnaia, however, it won't be a problem: “It's the first weekend of the season, so we're not tired yet (laughs)”.
Finally, he commented on the excellent debut of Pedro Acosta, third in both dry and wet conditions with his KTM: “He was very good. We expected it, because he has been very fast throughout his career. We'll see tomorrow and in the race on Sunday. Let's remember that Martin immediately made the podium here as a rookie, so there are some who only need a short time to be fast, but I already said it in the tests: it's better to leave him alone because he already has a lot of pressure on him”, he concluded.
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