MotoGP Portugal J2, Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati/Q4-S4): “I could have had 12 points instead of 6, some mistakes really don’t help”

Pecco Bagnaia does not hide his irritation, but chooses to accompany it with a smile. He is aware that his mistake during the sprint at Portimao, although avoidable, was crucial. Leading the race with a one second lead over Viñales, a braking error at the first corner, four laps from the end, cost him not only the victory but also a place on the podium...

« I could have had 12 points instead of 6,” reflected the world champion. “ The championship is still long, with 39 races remaining. These points could have made a difference. It's been a while since I felt this good in a sprint race, and some mistakes really don't help."

He details his braking error, emphasizing: “ First of all, I'm happy to have managed to start well and maintain the lead in the race, to manage. The sensations were good, I am little by little regaining this explosiveness that I was missing. Unfortunately, I neglected the fact that the first corner is very special, with a steep descent, and I continued to brake in the same way as the tank emptied. I felt the rear rise a little more, until I made a mistake and lost everything."

Pecco Bagnaia: “ On Sunday we will use the medium tires which I much prefer, that will be another story »

Regarding his reaction to this mistake, Pecco Bagnaia adopts a positive outlook for the future: “ we must see this positively for tomorrow, try to move forward a little further. Currently I find the rear of the GP24 to be softer than I would like, but we already know how to improve. Especially in the race, we will use the medium tires which I much prefer, so everything is going pretty well. It will be another story."

When asked who will be difficult to beat tomorrow, he answers: “ certainly Maverick, Enea who will start better, Marquez, Martin… There are already too many and there are only three places on the podium and only one victory to obtain. We will do our best."

Regarding possible vibration issues at the rear, as mentioned by George Martin, Bagnaia specifies: “ honestly after I made my mistake I was just trying to finish the race so some of the issues were less noticeable. But we know that we have highlighted a lot of problems with soft tires because, despite non-optimal track conditions, we were going very fast. This is a problem that could persist."

MotoGP, Portugal J2: Starting grid:

MotoGP, Portugal J2: Sprint classification

Credit classification motogp.com