New leader of the MotoGP World Championship by 14 points, Francis Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had to come under fire from journalists during the press conference ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix which is taking place this weekend at the Sepang circuit.
Here are some of the topics covered…
How do you feel: Calm or nervous?
« At the moment I am quite calm, because I finally know that our potential can be high. If we continue to work like we did in the second half of the season, we can do a very good job. The main question here is the weather, as it looks like it could rain on Saturday and Sunday, but we'll see. It is always very difficult to predict the weather here, but I think if we work well we have a great possibility. »
Is it possible to treat this like a normal weekend?
« For sure, an Italian hasn't won the MotoGP™ title since 2009, and Ducati hasn't won the [riders'] title since 2007. It would be my first MotoGP™ title so, for sure, the pressure is here. I feel like I'm going to start feeling pressure, but right now I'm pretty happy. I know we've done something really good this year, but we still have to finish the job and my main focus right now is on that. »
Does the experience gained from winning the Moto2 title here in 2018 help you a bit? Have you spoken to Rossi about how he handled the pressure?
« My season is totally different compared to 2018, because there it was very hard and it was my first title. But I feel more relaxed right now compared to 2018, but that's something that will totally change tomorrow or Sunday, because normally you start to feel the pressure on race day. »
You've already tested here, but what do you think of the competitiveness of the bike now?
« I didn't believe our potential was what we showed in the test because we were very slow. I was trying to understand, I was trying to work, but it was very difficult to be consistent, to be competitive, and from that moment on, honestly, we worked very hard to reach this level. Honestly, the biggest improvement was in Portimao, when we were in Jerez everything was already at the top level, and from that moment we just adjusted a few things. But I think the biggest improvement from that point on was myself, well my mentality. In the second part of the season, I think those were the things that gave me more motivation to be there. »
