This Sunday August 15, 2021, Pecco Bagnaia answered questions from journalists from the Red Bull Ring circuit, at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Italian rider, who once again came close to his first MotoGP victory in Austria, but had to settle for a runner-up place behind winner Brad Binder. The Ducati rider is now second in the championship, behind Fabio Quartararo.
As usual, we report here the words of Pecco Bagnaia without the slightest formatting.
Pecco, it's still not the long-awaited victory, but you must still be very satisfied to finish on the podium given how the race went today?
" I I'm happy with this podium, I've been waiting for it for a long time because the last one was in Jerez. Over these two weekends we really worked a lot, and I am very happy with that. Today we got a good result. It wasn't easy because from the start it started to rain a little. It wasn't really disruptive, but finding the rhythm in these conditions is always very difficult. »
"But little by little I attacked more and more. On the other hand, when it started to rain more it was very difficult to stay ahead and set the right pace. So I let Marc Márquez pass, because in these kinds of situations he is always very strong, and I wanted to see what he was going to do. He finally dove into the pit lane to change bikes, and then I decided to follow him. But at the same time I saw on the track that many drivers were continuing on slicks, and so deep down I wondered if I was making the right decision, because there should only be five or six rounds. »
" I have so attacked a lot, and it wasn't easy with all this rain. The problem is that during the first two laps on wet tires, it was even more slippery than on slicks when braking! I don't know why but it was the same for all the drivers because Marc crashed, and Jorge Martín had the same feeling. From there I just tried to get the tires up to temperature, and on the last lap I had to pass eight drivers I think. I had a lot of fun at that moment, but Brad Binder was too far gone at that point. So I'm very happy with this result, and I hope it brings us one step closer to our first victory. »
“At the start with the rain tires, it was even more slippery than the slicks when braking! »
What do you think of Brad Binder's victory today?
" I think it's great. This bet to stay on slicks is something that only Brad and Jack Miller could take. Turn 3 alone was already very slippery with the slicks, so I think he did something incredible.
There's not much missing for you to get your first victory in MotoGP, but we feel that this new podium gives you a lot of confidence. Is this really the case?
" It It is clear that this podium and the weekend we had as a whole gives us extra confidence for the next races. Especially since the next round will take place at Silverstone, where it will not be easy for us, because it is a track more favorable to the Yamahas as well as the Suzukis. That being said, this year we managed to obtain valid results on circuits where in the past we encountered problems. So I think that this extra motivation will be likely to give us the potential to win. »
You finished second in the race, and you are now in second place in the championship. Do you think this is a turning point this season, particularly with Fabio Quartararo who did not have an exceptional race?
" I think it's the same situation as before. 47 points behind is a lot. Maybe another race of the same ilk for Fabio could help us, but he is very strong and he is having an incredible season, and it is something that the Yamaha behaved well on a circuit which is of his ordinary unfavorable. He deserves all his points so far. »
Could you describe to us how your last tour went?
“I concerning I was nervous when approaching the last lap, because I was in tenth position, and I could see that very far in front of me there was a group of drivers, but I was far from suspecting that it was of a group of nine pilots. I passed Takaaki Nakagami in the braking of turn 4, then the other drivers between turn 6 and turn 7. »
" I have picked up Iker Lecuona again in turn 8. I didn't think I would be on the podium at all, because I had counted fewer drivers in my head. I thought I would finish in fourth position, but when I looked at the big screens I saw that I was second and so I was very happy from there. Quite the opposite of the start of the tour in short, where I was quite angry. »
Do you have any regrets about your decision to go to the pits to change bikes?
" No, I did my best, and I didn't think anyone was going to continue on slick tires, because the track was completely wet. But for me, if I hadn't changed bikes, I don't think I could have finished ahead of Brad Binder. »
Joan Mir explained to us that when he was changing his bike he didn't know what type of rain tires he was going to get. Was this also the case for you?
" Before the race, I told my team that we had to base ourselves on what we had observed during FP2, which had been fought in the wet and where I had used the soft rain tire. My feelings were not good then, and I therefore made the decision to use the medium in the race if we had to switch to wet tires. So yes, I knew which tire I was going to use. »
“I knew which tire to use when changing motorbikes”
MotoGP Austria Race Ranking:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
