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As he got up after his fall, Pecco Bagnaia gave himself a sarcastic round of applause. He knew he deserved it for throwing away important points. His race didn’t start out well but, right at the end, he had caught up with Quartararo and was clearly faster. Haste makes waste and, instead of recuperating points on Fabio, the Ducati rider lost 8, dropping 18 lengths.
“I made a big mistake today,” Bagnaia admits. “At the beginning of the race, I tried to stay ahead, but I couldn't. I was struggling with everything, and it was a bit strange because it all was fine this morning. In the end, I was lucky because Fabio wasn’t able to make a difference, and Aleix had a problem, but certain things shouldn’t happen.”
But they did.
“Today was a day in which mistakes shouldn’t have been made, where points shouldn’t have been lost. We should have been getting points. On the last lap, I made an attempt, because I knew I could only overtake in braking. In acceleration, the others had more traction than I did. I made an attempt, and I made a very serious mistake. I apologize to the whole team because they worked really well, while I didn’t. That’s what bothers me the most. Now we’ll be going to Thainland, totally focused.”
Why were you so slow in the first part of the race?
“I had a problem with the pressure of the front tire, maybe because of the humidity. Itt was much different. That’s something that can happen. And it didn’t help when braking. I struggled to stop the bike. But I didn’t fall because of that. It was entirely my fault. I was too optimistic. Fortunately, I didn’t touch Fabio.”
In hindsight, didn’t you risk too much to earn just one point?
“One point can make a difference. I was maybe too ambitious. Staying behind Fabio, or waiting for a better chance to pass him, would have been better if I think about it now. But it’s different during the race. I wanted to pass him, to stay close to Viñales and maybe take advantage of a mistake. I was ambitious, but it’s the only way to win the title.”
Will this lesson make you change your mentality for future races?
“This weekend was strange, as was what happened in the race, but I knew that starting from the back would be more difficult. I’ll try to do my job in Thailand, to be competitive, and I won’t have to be more aggressive, but do as I did in Aragon and Misano. Keep my pace and hammer away to earn points.”
Miller won by dominating the race.
“Jack was fast all weekend. We did the same Friday, but he had lost four tenths when he encountered another rider during his fast lap. I had a pace that was similar to his this morning, but he had more traction. I couldn’t ground all the power. His level has been higher than mine these days, and we need to figure out what happened. I couldn’t get over it today, and it usually isn’t a problem for me.”
Was it tough doing just one round of free practice on dry asphalt?
“I usually need more time to get everything perfect, and we haven’t been here in two years. We did a good job, but it probably wasn’t enough.”
What about your duel with Bastianini?
“When Enea passed me, he was faster than I was, and he wanted to reach Quartararo. I did the same with him in the end. It’s normal. Like I recently said, we don’t have team orders, we just have to respect each other.”
