There was no better way for Francesco Bagnaia to put behind him the disappointment of the 2nd place he scored yesterday at Misano than to close in the lead on Monday’s test, after a good day. In which the Piedmontese tried out various elements to improve the current package and define the basis for the development of next year’s bike.
“I worked a lot with a view to 2025. I didn’t try the fairing that Martin and Bastianini tried, because it’s an aerodynamic that I had already tried at Silverstone but then I removed it because I didn’t like it,” explained Pecco. “They liked it, but I was very focused on other things, because our bike needs something to improve, which unfortunately we can’t use now because it still needs some development in terms of electronics. But I think it’s positive, because it means we have more margin in acceleration. Today it was difficult to understand something, because the times with new and used tyres were very similar, but maybe for the last races overseas we will have something that can help us.”
Speaking about the direction to take next year, Bagnaia added: “I think if we just improve the area where the GP23 was better we will be fine, because we are lacking a bit of grip and stability and if we can improve in those areas, the GP25 will not need anything else.”
Among the many positive aspects of the day, in addition to first place, there is also the new front tyre developed by Michelin.
“As for the time, I did 1’30″9 with a medium tyre for about 22 laps, then I put on a new one and did 1’30″6. If we had wanted to do a time attack I could have also done a low 1’30, but it didn’t make sense” underlined the reigning champion, who was pleasantly surprised by the new tyre: “At the beginning it was strange, I think I did the first lap in 1’36” or 1’34”, but as soon as I understood the tyre it went very well and I liked it a lot. Valentino Rossi often spoke to me about Bridgestones and as soon as I tried it I thought that the feeling was just like the one they had with those tyres”.
The Chivasso driver then explained in more detail why he was so convinced by the new tyre.
“I love it and I really needed it because I am a rider who uses the brake a lot on corner entry and with the tyres we have now I can’t brake as well as I would like because the front collapses, whereas with this tyre it seems to have much more margin. I think it can help me because I can push a lot more on the entry, so it was a nice surprise. It is more difficult to change direction because it is heavier, but I really liked the grip and the way I could push and I think this tyre can be a good step forward even when you are behind someone, because you have less pressure problems,” he noted. “Actually, I didn’t try it because we only had 30 minutes to try this new tyre and I was behind Joan Mir, but unfortunately my engine is too fast to be behind someone. I did the whole first sector behind him, but I passed him in Turn 6 before I put it in third gear. It’s incredible because the top speed of the Honda is not bad, but they have really little acceleration.”
Bagnaia is definitely less satisfied with the idea of radio communications with the pits.
“I think I will get fines at every game like Michael Jordan, who was fined at every game for wearing red shoes, because I will not use anything like that. I have tried the systems and they press on an area of the bone that starts to hurt just by applying pressure with your fingers for 30 seconds, let alone driving for 40 minutes. It is something that makes no sense – he commented without mincing words – We already have all the systems to be warned, such as the dashboard and the table. There is no need for other communications, also because they can also be a cause of distraction and we drive vehicles that do not allow us to be distracted”.
The less than perfect conditions of his shoulder did not create any major problems for Pecco, who is ready to face the tor de force that will begin after the second stage in Misano.
“This morning I took a slow-release painkiller that worked perfectly along with two localized patches, which helped me a lot. The effect lasted until two runs from the end, so I was pretty good,” he explained, before starting to look ahead to the next trips: “It’s almost easier when you do the races one after the other, because by doing the triptychs you get into a rhythm that I really like. Maybe this year I’ll also have the chance to have Domizia with me, which was the only thing I was missing when I was away. Now I’m fine and it’s fantastic. I’m fired up.”
Returning to talk about yesterday’s race, the Ducati rider explained why he didn’t let the rain get to him.
“I know this place and living here I know what it’s like when it rains and that wasn’t the case because when it rains here there’s a different humidity and smell – he explained – Already at the start of the race it was dripping, but you could see that the rain wasn’t staying on the ground. I did an extra lap to see if it would stop raining and if it hadn’t I would have returned to the pits, but in any case Martin came in really early and would have lost time anyway because the track was still dry. This time Martin made a mistake and we took advantage of it, but he won’t always make that mistake. Whether it’s a four-man or two-man fight doesn’t matter”.
Photo credit: Pier Luca Brunetti
