This was the big question, asked after the Portuguese Grand Prix and before heading to Jerez, for Pecco Bagnaia who made a stopover at the hospital for an MRI. This involved checking in more detail the condition of a right shoulder which had suffered a violent shock during a fall in Q1 attributed to the driver's haste in wanting to use slicks on a Portuguese track which was drying out. . An error which put him in last place on the grid and in this state of suffering. The Ducati official still managed to score the points for eighth place while the medical examination reassured him about his participation in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix...
Pecco Bagnaia will be at Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, a sixth round of the championship which he will carry out with a box of painkillers. Because if the MRI ruled out ligament problems after the fall in Portimao, the pain will remain and will not put him in an ideal position to exploit his potential. It remains that after the medical examination, the Turin driver and the factory team Ducati breathe a sigh of relief: authorization to participate in the next MotoGP round in Jerez has been granted.
The teammate of Jack Miller reported that the race in the Algarve had been “ very important, especially to find sensations, that was what was needed…On the bike I could do what I wanted, especially at the front, that's what I missed so much ». Pecco Bagnaia signed with Ducati until 2024 and he does not hide the fact that he is having trouble with this GP22 which he transforms into a GP21 at each passing meeting…. He adopts a set-up closer to that of his machine from last year. Even before Indonesia he abandoned the new front lowering and went back to adjustments that allowed him to find a better feel with the front.
Pecco Bagnaia: “ the Ducati GP21 is better«
Pecco Bagnaia even declared on Moto.it : " in 2021, at this point in the season, we were further along and more competitive. We know that it's a long-term job: last year's bike already had two years of work and know-how behind it. At the moment, the GP21 is even better, but we're getting there ».
In the championship, Pecco Bagnaia is ranked ninth in the championship and he 38 points behind the leader fabio quartararo after five races. But at least he's on par with his teammate Jack Miller while Ducati interests are first defended at this stage of the campaign by the Gresini satellite teams with bastianini and Pramac with Johann zarco...
