Francesco Bagnaia arrived this year in MotoGP crowned with his Moto2 title. He was therefore favored by the predictions at the start of the campaign for the honorary but observed status of the best beginner of the season. But after five retirements in eight contested races, the VR46 Academy protégé is dead last in this hierarchy...
With such an assessment, the priority is to regain the direction of walking by starting, already, by seeing the finish of a race. That's what bagnaia did at Assen, a track which also puts the Ducati under torture. Even just 14e, the Pramac pilot saw the good side of things: “ the positive thing is that we finished the race. I haven't seen the checkered flag for four races in a row » commented the teammate Jack Miller, ninth in the Netherlands.
The man nicknamed “Pecco” won his first Grand Prix victory at Assen. It was in 2016, during the days of Moto3. “ The pace was good, from the middle of the race I managed to ride within the Ducati factory times. It's very positive. Too bad I had problems with the rear tire in the last six laps. We need to look at the data and talk to Michelin to understand exactly what happened. From one lap to the next I slowed down by 1,5 seconds and it was very difficult to control the bike. She was moving a lot and I couldn't go all the way on the straights anymore. » complained the Italian.
« It was a good race. It was really important to finish it and not fall again. That's why I'm quite happy » said Pecco. In the 2019 beginners ranking, bagnaia has only 11 points in eight races, and ranks fourth and last, behind Miguel Oliveira (Tech3 KTM) and Joan mir (Suzuki). On fabio quartararo (Petronas Yamaha), he is missing 56 points.
MotoGP Assen J3: times
