This Sunday, September 19, 2021, Francis Bagnaia answered questions from journalists from the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, at the end of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Italian rider, who today achieved his second success in MotoGP, after being able to resist the return of Fabio Quartararo at the end of the journey.
As usual, we report here the words of Francis Bagnaia without the slightest formatting.
Pecco, this is your second victory in a row, acquired after a very good start followed by excellent race management. Can you tell us all about this?
" I had aware that it would be important to start well and attack from the first laps. With the soft tire, I knew full well that the initial grip was going to be very good but also that in the last part of the race it would be more complicated compared to the medium tire. So I just tried to be fast and consistent from the start. »
" I have probably had my best start yet. I set off just as the lights went out... I trained a lot to succeed in doing that, so it was good [sarcastic laugh, probably linked to the fact that he was once suspected of having taken an early departure]. »
" Of the At the end of the first lap I was told a lead of one second, so it was incredible. I really tried to manage the tires well afterwards, but the last lap was very difficult, because Fabio was coming back by half a second per lap. On the last lap I did everything to stay in front, and I achieved my best third sector of the entire race at that point. »
“I had my best start so far”
Were you worried when you saw Fabio rushing towards you at the end of the race?
" It is It was clear that I was worried, but I also knew that overtaking a Ducati at Misano is not easy. I knew full well that Fabio was faster in the first and last sector, but on the other hand sectors 2 and 3 were for us. So I made sure he didn't get too close to me. In the last lap I tried to do everything perfectly, but it wasn't easy. I think the main thing is to see that we have achieved our goal, and it is very special for me to have achieved this. »
“Overtaking a Ducati at Misano is not easy”
Tell us a little bit about what it's like to have two wins within a week of each other?
" The victory in Aragón allowed me to arrive here in Misano with extra motivation but also being better prepared psychologically. I would say that this new victory is even more special than the first in the sense that I got it at home, in front of my fans, so it was really incredible, especially in the lap of honor, probably the longest I never did because I wanted to greet all the supporters present in the stands. »
You declared before the race that another victory would take you into another dimension. Do you think this is actually the case now?
"This what I wanted to say is that I encountered a lot of difficulties to achieve my first victory this season. Each time I was close to concluding but something was always missing or I made a mistake. But winning my first victory in Aragón, then doing it again here in Misano, gives me a lot more confidence in myself. I am sure now that if we continue to work well and improve in a few key areas, then we can constantly challenge for first place. »
“Winning in Aragon as well as in Misano gives me a lot more confidence in myself”
What was the most difficult race between Aragón and Misano?
"This In my opinion, today was harder because we played on a shorter track and with more laps to complete, which made everything physically harder. Here you don't really have time to breathe, whereas in Aragón you can relax a little in the long straights for example. »
"This What was also difficult was seeing that with each lap the gap separating me from Fabio was getting smaller, and it was very difficult to stay concentrated in these conditions. But I expected it to happen like that, because given how I attacked during the first part of the race, I was bound to experience a drop in performance at the end of the race. »
You were clearly designated as the favorite before the weekend even started. How did you cope with this pressure?
" In in terms of pace I was faster in Aragón than here. This weekend I was certainly in the running, but Fabio made a real leap forward because this morning he was able to do 16 laps with his tires while for us it was more difficult. I expected to fight for victory, but I also knew the competition would be closer. »
"When I saw that the gap that I had managed to open up during the first laps was reducing lap after lap, I started to think about the bike. There were two or three laps where I really struggled because I was trying to maintain this gap but it was simply impossible. So I simply made sure to be as regular as possible with the idea of managing the end of the race on my hand. »
“When I saw the gap narrowing lap after lap, I started to think about the bike”
You say that today's race was more difficult than the one in Aragón. Is this partly due to the memory of your disappointment here last year, when you led the race for many laps?
" No, it was really more difficult on a physical level. That said, it's true that I was terrified in the last six laps at the idea of repeating the same mistake as last year, and I kept telling myself in my head not to fall in turn 6. Moreover, with seven laps to go, I almost fell in the first turn because there were small bumps there and I almost lost the front. It scared me a little, but it didn't make it insurmountable either. »
“I was terrified at the idea of repeating the same mistake as last year”
Johann Zarco explained that looking at your data, he realized that you mainly make the difference when braking, not in terms of power, but in the way you position the bike. Can you explain this to us?
" It is something I worked a lot on, because during my first seasons in MotoGP I had a lot of difficulty adapting to braking. I worked a lot in this area during the latter part of the 2019 season. »
" In 2020 I had already made good progress thanks to this, but I also trained a lot with the road bike, simply to better manage the front tire. I also studied Jorge Lorenzo's data a lot, and now the difference I am able to make is in the last phase of braking, the one which corresponds to entering a corner. »
Last week you said you made four mistakes in the race. How many did you make this time?
"This Sunday I only made one mistake, in the first turn. I tried to brake a little earlier but when I got to the bumps I almost lost the front. This scared the hell out of me, so I had to brake again later! »
You were extremely efficient in the fast corners. This requires a lot of confidence, courage, and a perfect understanding of the front tire. Can you explain your approach to these turns?
"This What's good about our bike is that it's very stable. We can indeed afford to enter fast corners with a lot of speed. Furthermore, our motorcycle does not vibrate much, and this on all the circuits we go to. I also have very good apprehension of the front tire, but that was already the case last year pass. »
" We We haven't changed anything on the bike, the settings are very similar to those of last year, but the feeling has, however, improved a lot and I have learned to take good care of the front tire. All this helps me a lot to enter the fast corners in a good way. »
