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MotoGP, Bagnaia: "The Academy is Peter Pan's island. Balda? He wanted to change."

"Unfortunately, I had problems with the front in qualifying. Maybe Lorenzo no longer experienced certain sensations in the VR 46, so changing is the right thing to do."

MotoGP: Bagnaia: "The Academy is Peter Pan's island. Balda? He wanted to change."

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Francesco Bagnaia is kicking himself. That's right. By just two tenths, the rider from Piedmont won't be able to directly access the Q2. In fact, the Pramac rider will be starting from 14th, but his expression shows confidence.

"It was a difficult day," he began. "After the FP4s, we opted for changes to the bike. In fact, I really felt confident in the Q1, especially with the front. Unfortunately, that was one of the aspects that most influenced the weekend."

So, Bagnaia was only able to find his way in the afternoon.

"As you know, everything goes accordingly in the MotoGP. You might start out not very confident and can't push as you'd like to, since you can't get the tires up to temperature, and so you struggle. But, in the afternoon, the feeling was very different. I was able to make the tires work well, and I started to see the light. Too bad I was out of the Q2 by just a few tenths. With the time trial from the Q1, I would've started third on the grid."

It's useless to cry over spilled milk, since you can't turn back. The only thing is to look ahead.

"I'm hoping for a dry race, like everyone else," he said smiling. "But I think we can also be competitive on a wet track. I'm convinced that the Ducati and I will be faster on a dry track than we were in the free practice sessions.

Then he speaks about Baldassarri and Foggia leaving the Academy.

"I found out right before coming here, since I wasn't aware of this. Maybe Lorenzo needs to follow another path and, at the same time, make different choices."

Bagnaia thinks differently.

"I think the Academy is like Peter Pan's Island. They help us a lot, and I'm happy for everything they give us. In fact, I'm grateful. Maybe, when you no longer experience certain sensations, it's best to change."

The last thing is about the tests on Monday.

"They'll definitely be useful. The fact is that the track will have a good grip and, consequently, the difficulties I usually encounter with a rear-wheel drive are going to disappear. So I think it's easier to find something on race weekends rather than on test days.”

Audio recorded by Matteo Aglio

Translated by Leila Myftija
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