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They say that you have to be happy with what you get, but Bagnaia is not of that opinion. After a 2024 season as a cicada with many race wins and a final defeat, Pecco in this 2025 is thinking about not throwing anything away. Like today in Jerez, another 3rd place (after those in qualifying and Sprint) which means good points on the board and little satisfaction. The rider from Piedmont not only saw Alex Marquez win, but also failed to get the better of Quartararo's Yamaha. Little does he care that he went from minus 31 to minus 21 points from the championship leader.
"I'm not satisfied, I can't be happy with a race like that - he shook his head - Basically, I couldn't do anything. Only in the first 3 or 4 laps I felt good on the bike, then I never had the opportunity to be able to overtake Quartarararo. Every time I got close, the front locked up and I lost ground."
Bringing home points is important, but how much does it weigh on you to make do?
"I don't like it at all. I never liked this strategy or these riders using it. I prefer to give everything as in the past, but last year served as a lesson for me. It was a shame to win so many races and not the title, I'm not saying it was a throwaway season, but you have to learn from your mistakes. So I always try to give my best but, when I agree that the risks are too much, I make do. However, I also know that when I get back to feeling good on the bike, then I will also get back to winning. Until that point, I have to take whatever comes."
So was 3rd place today the best you could do, like in the Sprint?
"It was better than yesterday, at least I was able to pass someone today (laughs). The problems are always the same, when you are behind another rider the front tends to lock up. Today Marc was not in front of everyone and the same thing happened to him. I am more used to that behavior than he is, and even in this race my front locked up many times, but we don't know why. Also, I have to be honest, Marquez is very good at being able to ride anything, while I have to have confidence in the front. Right now I don't have it and it's something new because it has never happened to me in the past."
You mean with the GP24 it didn't happen? Are you questioning the latest developments?
"No, I think the new bike has more potential than last year's bike: it is better in acceleration, top speed and very good in braking. The strange thing is that the chassis is the same, but we have a problem that we had never suffered from. Last year, in the Jerez race, I was more than 10 laps behind Martin without any problems. If I look at the data, I see that I am slower in fast corners, while Alex has my performance from last year, it is as if the front end is softer. However, it is not correct to even think about going back to the old bike, also because Marc is winning practically everything with the new one. It's hard to do that when your teammate gets certain results."
Will tomorrow's testing be important?
"Very, because, as I said, we are experiencing new problems in the race, and a solution absolutely must be found. Maybe the balance of the bike will have to be revised a little, also because today it also happened to Marc to suffer in the slipstream of others. In the program there are interesting things to try, it will be a useful day to catch up."
Back to the race: what did you see behind Quartararo.
"Fabio did something incredible with a slower bike than mine, he squeezed every single part of his machine. I knew that if I came at him I could pass him on the straights, but I couldn't get close. He was strong in every single area."
What about the fight with Marquez?
"It was short-lived and I would have preferred to do it on the last lap for the win (laughs). As I said, in the first few laps I had good feelings. I knew Marc would attack me in Turn 8, but he didn't expect me to respond to him in Turn 9. We crossed our lines and then we touched because his bike went up and he couldn't control it. That was all."
