Pecco Bagnaia stands out numerically at the end of the Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini, 13th stage of the MotoGP 2024. If the double world champion recovers 19 precious points on Jorge Martin, his direct rival in the championship, this second place has the appearance of a "moral defeat". The triumph goes to Marc Márquez, who was riding a Ducati one year older and who, despite an unfavorable starting position, was able to take advantage of the changing race conditions to win.
Pecco Bagnaia, frustrated at not being able to secure victory, shared his impressions after the race: “ I tried to win until the end, but it was not possible. Unfortunately, when the rain started to fall, I lost time assessing the conditions, especially after seeing Franco Morbidelli fall. Marc Marquez was very strong in the second half of the race, and I couldn't make the most of our potential today. We will try again in two weeks, when we race again at Misano »
bagnaia admits that the main thing, on this complicated day, was to score important points for the championnat, especially after the strategic error of George Martin, who stopped in the pits to change bikes while rain was still uncertain. When I saw Jorge come into the pits, I understood that he would score few points. From then on, I decided not to take unnecessary risks. I would have liked to win for the fans, but if I think about my situation seven days ago, after my crash in Aragon, it's an excellent result, just like getting 19 points back »
Pecco Bagnaia: “ Jorge Martin made an impulsive choice, but it could have worked »
As for Martin's decision, bagnaia calls it a risky bet: “ Jorge made an impulsive choice, but it could have worked. It was raining heavily at the time, and he may have been influenced by the fall of Franco. These are difficult situations to judge.. »
Pecco Bagnaia remains optimistic for the next race, which will take place again in Misano : " Having already raced here this weekend will help us for the next race. However, Competing two races in a row on the same circuit is demanding. Performance wise it will push everyone to the limit, but I don't think times will drop much. »
To bagnaia, Sunday's race was marked by the strategic intelligence of Marquez, who, despite his more distant starting position, was able to capitalize on the wet conditions: " today, Under normal conditions, Marc would have been late. But he was fast all weekend, and without the rain, Martin and I would probably have played for the victory. »
Course MotoGP from the San Marino GP
MotoGP General Ranking
