After a difficult start to the season, during which he only scored 31 points in the first five rounds, Pecco Bagnaia finally managed to obtain his first victory this year at the end of a perfectly controlled weekend despite still very present discomfort. in his right shoulder, the result of his heavy fall eight days ago on the Portimão circuit, in Portugal. Today's success nevertheless allows the Transalpine to finally launch its season, which now finds itself propelled to fifth place in the championship, tied on points with Joan Mir.
The Ducati rider, however, still remains 33 units behind the leader, who is none other than his runner-up of the day, Fabio Quartararo, and must continue his momentum if he wants to maintain any chances of playing for the title in 2022. Author of his fifth victory in MotoGP this weekend, the number 63 answered questions from journalists during the post-race press conference, and we transcribe his entire remarks here.
Pecco, you turned your excellent day on Saturday into a victory today. How crucial is this first success this season for you?
« I probably had my best start with this bike, as I usually always suffer from a bit of a wheelie when accelerating. But everything went well there. I just closed the door entering turn 2 because I heard Fabio Quartararo was right behind me. I also took precautions approaching turn 13 because I remembered that Fabio negotiated turn 12 very well last year. In the first laps I mainly focused on closing the lines, but then I started to set my pace. I knew Fabio would be the man to beat today. The only problem I really worried about afterwards was the pressure in my front tire, as I knew that with the high temperatures at the moment it could be a problem. I think it would have been very difficult for me to have a better pace today, because precisely with these temperatures the rear tended to slide a lot while the front tended to lock up easily. »
You had difficulty finding your feet with the GP22 this year. Regaining your sensations must be something important to you? Are you confident that you will be able to repeat your performance today in the events to come?
« I must say that I was quite optimistic during the pre-season testing, but in the first rounds of the season the situation turned out to be a little different. That's where the problems started. But I think we did well to stop trying to adjust the bike to my feelings. We didn't touch the bike anymore and I just tried to adjust my riding style. Now I'm faster in the corners, so the situation has improved a lot. In the end I think I found my best form, the one that was mine at the end of last year. I would like to continue on this path now, without losing too many points along the way. »
Your shoulder didn't seem to be too big a problem during the race, despite your heavy fall eight days ago. Didn't you suffer too much during these 25 laps?
« I was very worried about the race because this morning I rode without taking any painkillers, and I was in quite a bit of pain. But Clinica Mobile always has something effective to administer to you! The last part of the race was quite difficult, because all the braking is on the right here, apart from the last corner. For example, it was quite difficult to slow the bike down properly in turn 6 because it felt like something was putting pressure on my shoulder, and it was painful. »
You and Fabio fought for the title at the end of 2021. Are we set to relive the same scenario this season?
« I hope so, but we still have to see how my recovery goes. »
This is your first success this season, but your fifth in MotoGP. How do you compare this victory to the others?
« My victory [in Aragón] in 2021 remains my first victory in the category. It is the one which is the most charged with emotions. But today's is also worth its weight in gold, because it comes after a difficult period, during which we never stopped working. After hard work we finally managed to demonstrate our full potential, even though it was difficult. It's a good day, and a good win for sure. »
Can you explain to us what you had to change in your driving to extract the full potential of the GP22?
« I had difficulty applying the same driving style as last year. Over the last two weekends I have worked a lot to understand how to enter the corners more quickly. It wasn't easy, because I had already worked a lot in previous years with Ducati to be able to brake well when entering corners, but this was called into question with the new bike. We're talking tenths of a second here, so it's not a big difference. The biggest development for me is that now I can enter corners with more speed. »
What was the most difficult parameter to control during the race? The pain in your shoulder or Fabio who continually put pressure on you?
« Fabio, because the gap between us was not counted in seconds, but in tenths. It was like this throughout the race, and in these conditions it is very easy to make a mistake. So today I just tried to ride perfectly. In this kind of situation you don't have time to think about other things, like my shoulder for example. So I was totally focused on being the fastest on the track, being the best. All I had to do was go a little wide in a corner for Fabio to instantly catch up. It was therefore very important to be very consistent in terms of times. »
