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To find Francesco Bagnaia one has to scroll down to the 17th position on the timesheets of this Monday's test in Jerez. Although he stopped about a second and a half behind his teammate Marc Marquez, who set the best time of the day, the official Ducati team rider was quite satisfied with the outcome of this Monday of testing. Although strong gusts of wind prevented him from working on his Desmosedici as he would have liked.
"The test went well, although because of the strong wind we couldn't do any set-up tests. This is a limitation that bothered me a bit, because when we tried to balance the bike differently to help me in fast corners, the wind picked up. Big gusts were coming, and so that didn't allow me to really understand the differences in everything we were trying. So, we had to go back to the basic set-up and I focused on some new parts that actually Marc has already been using since the beginning of the year, simply to catch up with him," he recounted, "I had taken them off because in the tests in Thailand, a bit of a mess had happened. There are some positive elements, which I will use in Le Mans right from the beginning. Other things, like maybe the swingarm that we might try if there is a sunny first day, and others that I didn't like and we will probably try again in the test in Aragon. Overall, though, it was a positive day and I'm happy because we deliberated two new parts that I think will help."
Which parts? "We can't say, but it's not regarding the chassis. Marc who was better than me tried it, while I didn't because I wasn't in the condition to do so: until I find my feeling again I can't try elements that can change the dynamics so much. It was right for him to try it, while I focused on something else - Pecco replied - The fuel tank for the Sprint? We didn't get around to trying it because I had an intense list, there were priorities, and I too preferred to try parts that Marc is already using that I don't have. I hope to try a new tank in the future, but it's not easy because the regulations say it has to be 12 liters and it's not easy to fit it in the space we have. We will see, but I hope so."
The problems caused by the wind lashing the Andalusian track were seen especially in the afternoon in Turn 6, where many riders ended up going long.
"There was wind pushing from behind and on the straight it made you point the bike toward the wall. In Turn 6 you didn't stay on the track, but every now and then you could stay on the line," Bagnaia noted.
Talk once again about the work done on the day, the Ducati man explained the reasons why he took to the track with the old tail instead of using the same aerodynamics adopted by Marc Marquez.
"Over the weekend we removed it because I crashed on Saturday morning and we only had one. It was better to continue with only one aerodynamics and focus on trying other things, because having two different types of aerodynamics could have changed the feeling," he admitted.
Instead, among the parts tested today was a new lever to operate the lowerer.
"We always try new things that can help us get a better start, but let's say I had to be more focused on other elements and when I finished the whole thing I realized I had already gone out. It took too long. It might help us in the future if it was faster, but right now we already start very quickly. We beat the record every weekend and, therefore, we will continue with what we have. Fortunately we have Michele Pirro who can test it better and bring us the final version," he said, "How long will I continue to use the cable throttle instead of the electronic throttle? As long as I can. I've been using it since I came to MotoGP and I prefer it because it has a greater neutral and mechanical position. When I tried the other one I didn't like it because it is too direct and the neutral position is electronic."
Despite the short time available, Pecco was able to try one of the new tires developed by Michelin.
"I tried a new front tire, I think it was the J, which is softer but for higher temperatures. I liked it, because it is very similar to the medium used in the race weekend and it could work well because it has good stability and grip on the shoulder. They did a good job," he concluded.
Photo credit: Pier Luca Brunetti
