– 2 and ball in the center. It is true that we are not talking about a real draw, but 2 points are really nothing when there are still 75 at stake and especially when you have recovered 89 in the space of the last seven races. In light of this, it is not surprising that after crossing the finish line in Buriram in third place he rejoiced as if for a victory, also because the race was held in the rain.
The wet had been his Achilles heel this season, but this time it turned into a weapon that allowed him to recover 16 points on his Yamaha rival, who instead struggled a lot and could not even claw a little point. So now there is not only a very open World Championship, but also the conviction of being competitive in any conditions in view of the last three races of the season, which will decide the fate of the World Championship.
“This third place counts as a win for me,” he said hot, as soon as he arrived at the parc fermé. “It’s my first podium in the wet since Austria last year, and it’s a bit strange. I’m really happy and I’d like to thank Jack because we had a chat before the race and he motivated me a lot,” he added, making mention to mate Miller, who preceded him in second position, behind the winner Miguel Oliveira.
Finding concentration today was not easy at all, because the race was delayed by about an hour due to the downpour that hit the Thai circuit during the Moto2 race. In addition, a guest got sick on the grid right in front of his starting pitch. Pecco, however, this time he managed not to be impressed and not to make mistakes.
Race winner Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, second place Jack Miller, Ducati Team, third place Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I am very happy, because finding concentration on the grid was not easy because of what happened. At first I tried not to look to look for concentration, but it was quite difficult for me,” Bagnaia later told Sky. Sport MotoGP HD.
“In any case, from the moment the race started, I tried to stay as close as possible to anyone in front of me. I knew that my potential in the wet was this and not what we had shown in Japan. I have to thank my team , which came after me in the requests I had made, because we brought out a very high potential all weekend in both dry and wet conditions, so I’m really happy “, he added.
Pecco also explained that during the race he had no information on Quartararo’s position: “Already from the last race I had asked not to have reports about it. From now on, yes, because we are only 2 points, but up to now they were 18 , so I had explicitly asked not to have information about it, because I needed to concentrate on driving and that’s it “.
After the Motegi mistake he admitted that there was a bit of tension before the race, but then once it started he was good at staying focused and hitting the target.
“I sincerely gave everything I had. Let’s say that yesterday, after qualifying, I felt a bit of tension, but luckily the people who love me gave me a great hand. We talked about something else, I talked to my trainer and Domitia (his girlfriend) before going to sleep and they helped me a lot. Today I was 100% focused on this race. Even before the race I knew it would be a different situation from Japan, because what we solved Friday would have helped us a lot “, he concluded.
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