MotoGP, Bagnaia: "I was at Martin's level; I have to improve in qualifying"

He might have lost 5 points to Martin, but at least he had fun, so Pecco Bagnaia can temper his anger at finishing behind his rival in the Thailand race. Furthermore, luck was also on his side, because if Binder had not ended up on the green on the last lap, the world champion would have been on the 3rd step of the podium and not the 2nd. On the other hand, despite a start to the race in which he found himself stuck in the group, he demonstrated that he could apparently fight with Jorge. “Objectively, it was a very fun race - smiled Pecco - But every time I made a little progress I had to fight, I couldn't stay calm in second, I always pushed to make up the gap”.

Yesterday you said that the thing to avoid would be useless fights...

“I started well, I immediately found myself in front and so I thought I could manage the rear tyre. Instead, the first lap wasn’t even over when the battles began, and I was hit twice by fairings. Naturally, it was a fun and nice race because I was going fast, but I couldn't think about saving the tyres. I had to push to recover and unfortunately, when I got to Binder and Martin, I couldn't be incisive in acceleration, especially coming out of the first and third corners. I was lacking a bit of ideas, however finishing 2nd is a good result."

How did you come up with that double overtaking attempt on the outside at the last corner?

“I don't know what Brad and Jorge did there; luckily I was on the outside or I would have gone into them directly, they lifted off early. I tried to brake hard but when you're on the outside all it takes is for the one on the inside to let go of the brake a little and touch you to make you go wide, I would have done the same to defend myself. It's a shame I wasn't able to finish it, it would have been the best overtaking of the year. I was missing a little more speed, if I had done the overtake it would have been a game-changer."

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Were you also in trouble with the front tyre?

“I tried to never stay in the slipstream on the straights because the temperature and pressure rose a lot, always following someone was not easy. My main problem, however, was the drop in the rear tyre, which is what made it difficult for me to have the opportunity to overtake them."

Martin didn't miss a beat in Thailand.

“Objectively, looking at the weekend, Jorge makes more of an impression because he has incredible consistency and aggression, while we work more in the shadows. But then in the race our performances are equal. This weekend I lacked explosiveness with the softer tyre, starting further up I could have done two different races. It will be fundamental in the future to always start from the front row."

Why these difficulties?

"In qualifying, I have a 76-point lead over Martin, which means I've always been fast, but this weekend I struggled with the inconsistent performance of the tyres, finding them different meant that I struggled to push to the limit. It's a shame because I had a great pace and could stay in front, it went the way it did, and we have to take the positive aspects."

So, you're satisfied, then?

“No, I'm still pissed off today, because I finished 2nd (laughs). But I started this triple-header with a 3-point lead and now I have 13, and above all I have finally found the best feelings on the bike. It’s only for yesterday's sprint, because of that start I lost a lot of points."

Does Martin have a further boost now by winning the two races?

“It seems to me that he doesn't need it, he's already pumped enough! Victories help you find confidence, but I'm happy to be back expressing myself at my maximum level, something I had missed."

Were you surprised to see Martin so competitive after his recent mistakes?

“No, I knew it would go like this. The same happens to me, I make a mistake and the next race I'm in front, if you can explain why, it's not something that limits you."