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“When I crossed the finish line I was laughing like crazy, it was pure pleasure”. Pecco Bagnaia can't hide his joy, he won at Jerez, took back the lead in the championship standings and showed exactly what he's made of. After two false moves in Argentina and Austin and a start to the race weekend in which he seemed lost. Finding himself a winner is what he needed.
“There have been better victories, but given how the weekend started, I'd say it's one of the best - said the world champion - Because it came from a complicated situation, a bit like at Silverstone last year, but here we were even worse off. We did a great job: I managed to make people understand what I needed and my team was very good at finding the solution, I have to thank them. Yesterday we already had a good base, but today we took another step forward which gave me the opportunity to win”.
How much did you need this victory from a mental point of view?
"A lot. This is a victory obtained as the strong riders do, I liked it a lot. We deserved it."
How hard was it to do?
"When I saw the possibility I just tried to be in the front again and I wanted this victory to motivate my team for the work we are doing. Was for me, for my ego. It’s a good race for the #1."
Like when you recovered last year on Quartararo?
“There I had to win and I entered a tunnel, now everything is different. I'm leading the championship again, the situation, both mentally and technically, is very different."
Did you ever think for a moment of settling for 2nd place?
(laughs) “I always saw the possibility of winning. There was a moment when I had a bit of difficulty with the front after passing Jack, but I knew that after a couple of laps it would be resolved. I had the chance to do it without risking too much because I was able to carry a lot of corner speed, so I honestly never thought of settling for second today."
You set the fastest lap with 5 laps to go…
“I was surprised by that time too, but I wanted to go get Brad. I was able to manage the tires well in the first part of the race and that helped. Once I caught him, I tried to overtake him as soon as possible."
What do you think about the penalty of handing the position back to Miller after that overtaking?
"I don’t want to say too much on the penalty. I just want to say that I accept it but in the future we need consistency. If I take this penalty which for me wasn’t so risky compared to other touches we saw this year, then I just want consistency."
Didn't that penalty destabilize you even for a moment?
“When you're pushing and you see that you have to give the position back to a rider who is 7/10 behind you, you get angry. You pushed for an advantage and see your work in vain. Despite this, I managed to stay calm because I knew I could get on the podium. But in the Safety Commission we asked to speak to the Stewards and we will do so at Le Mans, we want to understand what their yardstick is and give our point of view. We need uniformity in decisions”.
Did you, like Binder, think of Rossi’s overtaking move on Gibernau at the last corner?
“Yes and I was very frightened (laughs). I know Brad's aggression and I was careful, I tried to come out very fast from every corner that preceded a braking and it went well. I never pushed too hard under braking, because I was at the limit, but in acceleration."
With 13 victories you have reached Biaggi in 4th place among the most victorious Italians in the premier class, 2 more and you will be on a par with Dovizioso.
"It’s nice, compared to many other riders I'm still far away, but also very happy".
You have also won half of the races this season.
"I'm demonstrating that I'm always ahead and that has to make us happy and motivate us."
We are only at the fourth GP, but now you are looking good in the standings.
“I also did two zeros, let's wait because it's still early. I have to be happy for today, we'll have a test tomorrow and then we'll see what we can do at Le Mans."
Who are your most dangerous rivals?
“The situation is quite clear: it takes an instant to gain or lose many points. Quartararo, Marquez and Bastianini are the ones with the best potential, but Enea has been unlucky and hasn't raced a race yet, Marc and Fabio are in a complicated situation. The KTMs showed this weekend that they have done a great job, having tested here certainly helped them, but they were really strong. The Aprilias were also fast, there are many riders who can aim to be in front”.
What will the tests be used tomorrow for?
“Understand why we struggled on Friday”.
