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“Do I feel more relaxed? No” Bagnaia jokes trying to ease the tension now that the most important day of his career, if not of his life, is approaching. The cameras kept an eye on him all day, on the main straight of the Valencia circuit he posed together with Quartararo and the winner's cup, which he was careful not to touch. “I'm Italian, so superstitious” he says with a smile.
The pressure, however, will be there though it has not yet arrived even if the Ducati rider has used some tricks to avoid it these days.
“I tried not to think about anything, to always do the same things: go and buy food, walk the dog. In short, I have thought of everything, but not the championship” was the secret.
What has been the hardest thing these days, not listening to those who already put you as champion?
“Let's say my hands have wandered several times in the lower parts (laughs). We all know it's not an easy situation, but it helped me talk about something else. I did the same things as always, but with the thought that everything is at stake”.
Valentino Rossi will also be here this weekend; will you hire him as a coach?
“For sure he will be able to help me technically by observing me on the track, but also mentally to leave me calm. He knows how I feel right now; he will certainly help me. It's a good thing that he's here, not just for me but for all the Academy riders. "
Will Sunday be the worst day?
“In Malaysia the race was the easiest thing from a mental point of view, because I was focused on winning, I wasn't thinking about the championship. On Thursday, not even in Sepang, I felt too much pressure but then it came, even if I said not. I had crashed twice; it means there was. We'll see how I wake up tomorrow, but right now I'm quite peaceful and calm. I know I'm the favourite, I can afford a 14th place, even if I don't have to think about this possibility. I have to concentrate to do 100%, try to win or get on the podium”.
You say you want to win, but in the case of a fight with Quartararo on Sunday, would you really fight it out until the end?
"The goal of a rider is always to do the best, if I see a chance to win I will try, but without risking too much. In this race I can do without what I did in Malaysia”.
They say there is nothing better than winning a title by also winning the race ...
(laughs) "Definitely ... but the important thing is to win it".
Marini claimed that the fight with Bastianini in Malaysia ultimately helped you.
“To push me? Let's say yes (laughs). Enea really wanted that victory, but I did a great job in the second half of the race, when I realized that he had a slower pace than mine and I passed him to pull away. So he, in the last 2 laps, had to push to get back to me. It wasn't easy, but it was a fundamental victory in view of this race: arriving with 18 or 23 points makes a big difference”.
When did you really start believing in a comeback on Quartararo?
“It's easier to say that there was only one moment when I thought I couldn't win it and that was after the race at Sachsenring. From the day after I always thought it would be feasible, I knew that if I worked well I could recover. I didn't expect many mistakes from Fabio, but I did an incredible job both on the track with my team and at home”.
What has changed since then?
“In the first part of the season I had had ups and downs, not in performance but in results, due to the crashes. I analyzed my mistakes. The Sachsenring gave me a great lesson, it helped me to understand that my potential was higher, I became aware of it and from then on, race after race, everything went better and better. I made a mistake again in Japan, it's true, but it was different, I was too ambitious on that occasion. I judge this year as the most important because I learned how to be calmer and how to work better. I am proud of my team”.
What sort of opponent is Quartararo?
“The first battle between us was in Moto3, in 2015, he was making his debut and I had the first chance to get on the podium and… we touched each other and I finished 9th (laughs). In those days, every time we were close there was contact between us, but now the situation has improved. I'd like to have another good fight between us here in Valencia. "
Is Valencia a good track to fight for the championship?
"Last year we arrived here thinking it would be a difficult track, but in the end we had a 1-2-3, five seconds ahead of 4th. In my opinion the new bike is even more competitive, the smaller fairing helps us a lot on a circuit like this one, I think we will be very competitive”.
