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After the disappointment of Misano, Pecco Bagnaia needed to turn the page. He did it in Portimao, virtually repeating the same race as two weeks ago but, most importantly, without the crash. He concluded a perfect weekend: pole position, fastest lap and victory. Without forgetting the icing on the cake of the constructors' title for Ducati.
“It was my best weekend since I started racing in MotoGP – said today’s race winner – I enjoyed every single session and when you feel comfortable on the bike, everything gets easier. Here I felt even more competitive than at Misano, only at the beginning of the race was it difficult because in the left-hand corners I felt the front close in. Then it got better and better and I'm happy to have won the race and the constructors' title ”.
Seeing this result and Quartararo's crash, do you have any more regrets for what happened at Misano?
"I didn't lose the championship at Misano but before, when he made some mistakes, we had some problems, moreover at the beginning of the season it took me a few races to be competitive".
Did you race with less pressure today?
“No, I did exactly the same race as Misano, I was just less unlucky. I didn't think about the championship today or the last GP. I am optimistic as a person, but we must also be realistic and accept things the way they went ".
How different is the Pecco of the first two years in MotoGP from what we are seeing now?
“It was a very difficult time, I only felt fast once or twice, the rest of the time I was struggling, I crashed and I was slow. I still don't know what happened. Then, since I joined the factory team, I have experienced different feelings on the bike and found a very nice environment in the garage, which I really appreciated. Also in the winter I trained a lot and took a big step forward. It took me a while to get competitive, but I think we've done an incredible job. On the one hand, Ducati has opened its mind and adapted the bike to my needs, on the other I have adapted to it, changing the way I brake, but maintaining entry and corner speed that are typical of my style. We now have a good base for 2022 ”.
Ducati has won the constructors' title again, what does this mean?
"I think this year I was able to concentrate mainly on my riding, the bike is more or less the same as in the first race. I believe that all of this has also helped the engineers in view of development for next year ”.
Are you ready for the rematch?
“Now I know that I am a really strong rider and it is not easy to reach this after two bad seasons. I succeeded and this helps me a lot ”.
