While the title is still mathematically possible, the chances of winning are very minimal for Francesco Bagnaia. However, the Ducati rider delivered an exceptional performance on the Sepang track in Malaysia. Last weekend, during the penultimate stage of this 2024 MotoGP world championship, the Italian went through all the emotions. On Saturday, during the sprint event, he fell during the first laps, just behind his rival Jorge Martin, around turn nine. At this precise moment, in the head of the Turinese, the hopes of winning a new coronation vanished.
The next day, for the main round, Pecco Bagnaia produced a masterclass on the track, with an intense battle alongside the Madrilenian. At the end of the Grand Prix, the number one did not give in and crossed the finish line in first position. Before starting the final phase in Barcelona on November 17, the latter is 24 points behind the Pramac of the “Martinator”. With one race remaining in the final phase, he took stock of this campaign full of twists and turns.
“A special season”
Comparing the latest statistics between Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia, the sprint races are to the Spaniard's advantage. 164 units scored against 116 for the double reigning champion. Because of his numerous errors during these events, the Italian driver lost big points. He established his self-criticism.
Francesco Bagnaia: “It’s been a bit of a special season. You can't blame me for Sunday, but Saturday is clearly not my day. We know perfectly well that the only negative point I have is in the sprint race. All the mistakes I made, all the points I lost, it's Saturday. It's a shame from my point of view but Jorge has simply been better on Saturdays this season and it must be said that he has done a very good job there. To improve Saturdays, we should already not fall. After six races, at the start of the season, I had scored 14 points on Saturday and Jorge 56. We simply had more crashes on Saturday, I had more problems. This is something we need to improve.”
“When I go for a long run on Sunday, I feel like I can do a lot better. I feel much better with the bike from the first lap. I can be more aggressive, I can brake harder, stop the bike better, follow the guy in front of me by being closer. My problems are in sprint races. I can't follow anyone while staying close, I have to slow down a little and put three or four tenths between us because I can't brake, nor enter the corners well, and I lose a lot of time in the first part of the race. We still don't know why. We know that we have some balancing work to do as far as I am concerned because the only thing that is changing is the tank and it is dictated by the regulations. So we're going to try to do something, to improve. I've had this feeling since the beginning of the year, we talk about it all the time but it's difficult to find a solution. We will try to do something and improve.”
As for his team manager, Davide Tardozzi, he believes that his falls will be the main cause in the event of the loss of the championship.
Davide Tardozzi: “It's a shame because Pecco is one of those who falls the least in the championship, but he has had eight falls and all in the race, never in testing [il y en a eu deux en essais, en réalité, ndlr]. If we lose the title, it will be because of these falls. We know that Sunday is not a problem. Saturday is the one, we have to improve,” insists the Turin rider, who describes different sensations between Saturday, when we race with a lighter bike, and Sunday. “In the races long, I have the feeling of being able to fight, of being able to be aggressive. If you look at my first laps in the long races, I gain positions all the time, I attack. However, in all the sprint races, I never had the possibility, the feeling to respond to an attack. I’ve never been less than three or four tenths, I stay around that all the time and I don’t have the strength to fight back.”
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In Brief
Winner on Sunday and in the gravel trap on Saturday, Francesco Bagnaia recently spoke about his performances during the sprint races. The Italian is not proud of his results and is self-critical of his driving. He hopes to change the situation for next season.
