Pecco Bagnaia arrives in Austin with the aim of turning over a new leaf after the misstep in the Termas de Rio Hondo race. Despite the second place in the World Championship, there is confidence on his part that this is the right opportunity to move on and he believes it!
As if that weren't enough, two rivals of the calibre of Marquez and Bastianini will be missing.
“In Argentina I learned that the wet is more slippery than a dry track - he began joking - it's difficult to explain what happened two weeks ago. However, Termas belongs to the past and we must think about Austin. It's not yet the time to think about the world championship, even if we still must avoid taking too many risks. Of course, I'm disappointed about what happened in the last race, as it was the second time that I felt so good in the wet and I was simply trying to extend my lead over Alex without doing anything exceptional. But now it's time to move on and I can't wait to get started here in Texas."
There is a lot of confidence on Bagnaia's part.
“I am convinced that this year we will be better prepared. I think the first two sectors can help the Ducati be competitive. In fact, the GP23 is more agile compared to the GP22, where I suffered under braking".
He also made a comment about America.
"Here the atmosphere is more relaxing, I haven't eaten a hamburger yet, but I love the environment. However, I consoled myself with a nice barbecue (smiles)".
Marco Bezzecchi is in the lead of the World Championship.
“Everyone recognizes his talent and speed. Now, however, it's too early to name names and I'm not even putting mine on the list of contenders for the title. The season is very long, and we will have to keep our feet on the ground, knowing that Bezz will be strong. For sure, if I had to choose one of the contenders for the World Championship, I would prefer it to be from the Academy."
Marquez and Bastianini will be missing this weekend.
“Marc would have been one of the riders to beat this weekend, as well as Enea. However, it is difficult to understand the level year after year, because the potential of the Hondas is no longer the same as it was a few years ago, while the Ducati has grown. Perhaps it would have been more difficult for Marc to be competitive than in the past, even if he would certainly have fought for the victory, given that he has a crazy interpretation of the track. The same goes for Enea, who showed very high potential last year".
With Bezzecchi and Bagnaia in front of everyone, there is certainly no lack of satisfaction for Valentino Rossi.
“It's great to see such strong Academy riders and I think it's the best moment for us. This year we have taken a step forward in terms of performance and we have understood that if we work together, we can be ahead, trying to be smart and not stupid. When we train at the Ranch, we play dirty against each other, while here in the World Championship it is certainly cleaner".
One final consideration was on the new format.
"I like it! Saturday is the most difficult day of the entire weekend, given that we have so many things to do, but we must get used to it".