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There is still one final day of testing for Pecco Bagnaia, the next time he sees the Qatar track again it will be for the race. The Ducati rider is satisfied with his first test with the factory team's red bike, even if he doesn't want to get too worked up about it.
"We did a great job – was his summary - I felt good on the bike right from the start, I was very competitive in the race simulation while I have to take another step forward over one lap if I want to start in the first two rows. I think that, at the moment, I will be able to fight for the top 5 in the race”.
Aren't you a bit too cautious?
"I finished last season struggling, so I don't want to think about any higher goals."
Will Miller have to manage the higher expectations?
“Maybe because of his results last season he might feel more pressure, I don't know. But in the team they are not making me feel the number 2, the treatment is identical ”.
Don't you mind that other riders don't rate you as one of the favourites?
"In the last part of last season I didn't finish a race, it’s OK that they don't put me among the favourites, it’s right, we'll talk about it after the first race. After all, I also take the Yamaha riders or Mir more into consideration than Aleix Espargarò, who was fast in this test, in the end you know who is strong and who is capable of doing a real feat. "
Last year the biggest surprise was Mir, who will it be this year?
“I hope to be as competitive all season as Joan was, but there are many riders who are fast. Here in Qatar there are Jack and I, the Yamaha and Suzuki riders, but also Aleix, Pol is not far away and Zarco has set good times. It is difficult at the moment to see who the favourite is, for sure we Ducati riders appear to have an advantage thanks to our maximum speed, but in the end there are a lot of riders in 2 tenths, looking at the pace ”.
How do you feel ahead of the GP?
“I am more confident than a year ago, I have more confidence with the bike, even compared to when I was fast, because I can do everything more easily. Compared to last season's tests, I’ve improved both my pace and my one lap by a second, I've never felt so good on the Ducati ”.
In the past you were struggling to get the tyres up to temperature right away, now what is the situation?
"I’ve worked all winter on this aspect, with different types of bikes. In the tests I managed to be fast already on the lap out of the pits, yesterday, in the race simulation, I set the best time on my first lap and it is important for me ”.
How's the new fairing doing?
“On the straight it doesn't make a big difference but it helps when entering corners, it makes the bike easier to enter. We will have to see if it gives us a hand even on tracks with less fast corners ”.
The vaccination of the paddock staff started today, have you joined up?
“We are very lucky to have this opportunity, in Italy we would have had to wait a lot longer. It's something I care a lot about, I'm happy and I feel lucky ”.
