Pecco Bagnaia is the reigning World Champion and the one who also started his 2023 season with a bang by dominating the first Grand Prix of the year in Portugal, which inaugurated the new format. His team manager Davide Tardozzi predicted that the great champions would emerge as the competition was going to go up a notch in intensity. He was not mistaken and he is undoubtedly all the more delighted to have been right as it was his driver who asserted himself, after a faultless race. Only pole position was missing for him to make a perfect copy. That being said, and while the Argentine Grand Prix is already preparing for this weekend, the one who wears the number 1 so well on his Ducati is proposing adjustments to this new era, to safeguard physical health and mentality of the pilots…
Pecco Bagnaia seems to be the lawyer appointed to defend the new format of the Grands Prix since he is the one who was delighted by the first experience of its unfolding, lived in the Algarve. He went down in history as the one who won at the end of the first Sprint, all materializing the next day for the gain of the Portuguese Grand Prix. Good sensations therefore, producing healthy energy developing a positive approach to the new era. However, all is not rosy for the pilot in the red suit.
Public chat Motorsport, we read his feeling thus: “ the new format is different and it was the first, so everyone was a little more stressed »Says Pecco Bagnaia. " In any case, at the moment, I'm not that tired, but honestly, mentally, on Saturday, I was, because the day was very long ". He explains : " you have a lot of media stuff to do before you go eat or get ready for the sprint race. It's something different and we all have to adapt to it because that's how it is now ».
Pecco Bagnaia warns of Austin and Mugello deadlines
Certainly, but that doesn’t stop us from thinking about some adjustments… “ On some circuits we will really have to ask to reduce the Grand Prix, because I think this Portimao track was not so physically demanding. But a circuit like Mugello, like Austin are. So maybe for these circuits, we will have to make some changes ».
There have been a lot of comments in Portugal on this new format. They first concerned the P2, stopped twice at the red flag which led it to finish so late at the end of the afternoon that questions arose about an identical scenario on sites promised to be a harsher climate. There were also complaints about a platoon being transformed into “ jungle » at the time of the Sprint event. It will be recalled that these Sprints will take place at every Grand Prix this season, for a total of 42 races during the 2023 campaign with a combined value of 777 points.
Finally, four drivers will be missing this weekend at Termas de rio hondo, because they were wounded on the battlefield of Portimao, without this sad observation being entirely a liability of the new format.
