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It was not an easy day for anyone at Phillip Island, the first practice session was skipped due to rain and all the work was concentrated in pre-qualifying, where it was also important to set a time to secure entry into Q2. In the end, Bagnaia managed to salvage his Friday, although not everything went smoothly. "In the afternoon we had a small technical problem, so I had to stop and go back in with the other bike. I can't say what happened, but it was something easily solved," he explained the stop in the first few minutes.
It happened to you when Martin crashed.
"When I saw that Jorge had crashed and I had a problem, I thought that if it rained we would both be in Q1. I stayed calm, I didn't worry."
After that hiccup, did everything go well?
"I was able to improve on every exit, I was feeling good and we quickly figured out the direction to take. Unfortunately I couldn't do well in the last time attack because of the yellow flags, I could have lowered my time, but today the goal was to be in the top-10 and it's already good to have made it."
Are you ready for tomorrow?
"The front row is definitely the goal in qualifying, then we'll see for the Sprint. At the moment, there is no one who is making a difference, also because we only did one session. Those of today I don't think are the real values."
Don't you think Marquez is the rider to beat?
"Marc was fast right away, but in terms of pace and one lap we are really similar. I mean everyone."
There are three GP23s ahead of everyone else.
"Our bike has less traction than the 2023 and more weight on the front, so we have to adapt it a little bit to this track. We started with last year's setting, but we had to change the balance a little bit. Today's changes went well, but we need to make another step and we need time. We will do that tomorrow."
So it's just a fluke?
"They did a better job. I think, though, without the yellow flags, I could have been in the top 3 positions. It's not a problem not being able to do it today."
With only one shift to go, do you have a clear idea about the tires?
"Today I tried to focus on the soft tire to do as many laps as possible and I think I will do the same tomorrow. I saw someone using the medium, including Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez, and in my opinion it can be a good tire, but it's hard to say right now. I hope some Ducati riders will bring the medium forward tomorrow to understand a little bit more. Tomorrow morning we will have 10 more minutes of session time, it won't make a difference, but something will."
What is your opinion of the new asphalt?
"It has a lot of grip, but there are already so many depressions, it's strange. In the straights and fast corners the bike tends to move a lot, plus there are patches - the worst is between turns 11 and 12 - that make the bike nervous."
How are you physically?
"I'm suffering a bit from jet lag, not during the sessions, but as soon as I finished and went into my office, I felt tired."
