MotoGP Misano J2, Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati/Q1-S2): “I am angry with my performance, because a good start could have changed the situation”

A visibly frustrated Pecco Bagnaia shared his displeasure after missing the sprint start of the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix, allowing Jorge Martin to overtake him. Despite a dominant Friday in free practice and a record pole position on Saturday morning, the two-time world champion saw Martin take the lead from the first corner and cruise to victory, extending his championship lead to 26 points. However, a win on Sunday earns 25 points …

bagnaia acknowledged that his bad start, caused by a problem with the clutch, prevented him from fighting for victory. Although he tried to stay close to Martin at the start of the race, a front tire overheating forced him to slow down, and the gap widened to 1,495 seconds at the checkered flag.

« I tried everything until the end, but the front tire no longer held » commented the official Ducati. " I lost the front in several turns, especially at turn 13, and I had to resign myself to not taking any more risks. It's a shame about the start, I couldn't release the clutch properly, and I lost valuable time when the bike started doing wheelies. From there it was very difficult to overtake Jorge, especially with similar paces, unless he made a mistake, which didn't happen. »

Pecco Bagnaia: “ There was no point in pushing further and risking losing everything »

Pecco Bagnaia expressed frustration at not being able to take advantage of a small mistake Martin on the fourth lap and the degradation of his front tire: « the front tire overheated and I started to lose the front in the critical corners. There was no point in pushing harder and risking losing everything. I am angry with my performance, because a good start could have changed the game »

In view of Sunday's Grand Prix, bagnaia is planning a different race, especially with the choice of tires. He mentioned the possibility of using a medium rear tire, which allowed him to show good pace in testing, although some riders could opt for the soft.

bagnaia added : " After what happened in Aragon, it was important to finish the race and do the maximum. Tomorrow will be a different story with the medium tires. You can't push as much with this tire, We will have to be more careful at the start. I think some will try the soft, which worked well today, except for the last few laps. But it could also be a good choice for tomorrow's race.. ". Pecco Bagnaia knows that the key to Sunday's race will be to avoid another bad start, especially against rivals as competitive as George Martin et Marc Marquez.

MotoGP Misano: Qualifying 

MotoGP Misano: Sprint