Pecco Bagnaia has to lick the dust, following Saturday's Le Mans Sprint which forced him to lick his wounds, due to the slide in Turn 3 that eliminated him from the race. The disappointment on his part is plain to see, because the Ducati rider was aiming high.
In the end, however, he returned to his box empty handed, now having to turn the page and focus his mind on Sunday's race. The Italian doesn't want to give up, however, because the watchword present in his mind is: redemption.
"This morning everything was okay, in fact I was happy and I had confidence, as well as at the beginning of the Sprint - he said - in qualifying I messed up a bit, in fact I could not push 100% with the soft and the movements do not help me, especially in cases like these where I lack confidence with the front. In fact, I know I am not as good as other riders in these situations, but I was starting sixth, on a track where there are good overtaking opportunities anyway."
What happened in Turn 3?
"I was feeling good, I was going to pass Alex Marquez in Turn 7, but in Turn 3 the front locked up without much warning. I didn't do anything crazy, but I just laid the bike down. I would have had a good race, although I lacked confidence in the front. I think I could have achieved second place given the race pace I had."
What did the data say about your crash?
"I went in slower, with 5 degrees less angle and fell. As I already said I lack confidence in the front to do and push as I want on the bike. Turn 3 has always been a weak point for me. I don't think I risked more than usual, also because I had confidence. The fact is that as soon as I try to push on the front I feel that it closes and this for me is a limitation."
Tardozzi said you were opting for a more aggressive strategy....
"I don't know what Davide said, but the strategy was the usual one."
What do you expect instead for Sunday?
"I will start as I always have, trying to survive the first lap in Turn 3. The pace is there, as is the possibility of fighting for first or second position. Unfortunately, I have no confidence in the front and as a result it becomes complicated to reach a certain level, but maybe tonight we will find a solution."
For Sunday there is a strong risk of rain, do you think it will help?
"Rain is never a help for anyone. By the way, here it always starts raining when we are lined up on the grid and it will be a surprise for everyone."
Marquez said you were having the best weekend since the beginning of the season to date. Do you share?
"It's true! Then in qualifying I made a mistake, in fact I didn't take advantage of the front as I was feeling the bike closing. In the race, however, I was okay and calm. I was aggressive with Aldeguer, but it was okay. This is the first zero of the season and it's a shame."
What is different from Marc's crash in Jerez?
"It's a different context. Marc was more in the slipstream and came in fast while I didn't. The trajectory I don't know if it was the same. I would not have expected to crash like that, although something I did wrong."
Marc has tailored this bike to him while you haven't yet. How come?
"Marc is having great confidence with the new bike. He jumped on the GP25 directly from the GP23, a bike that had its limitations. He, however, never tried the GP24 and as a result it was an improvement, which is different for me since I lack that confidence that I had last year. For sure, Marquez can also ride a tractor and go well, which is not the case for me. I need that confidence in the front that I had last season. Just to give an example: I don't know what happened to Di Giannantonio, since he uses the same bike, but for sure Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer have with the GP24 that confidence that I lack now."
From a riding point of view, what changes with the new bike?
"I've been working on trying to improve in left-hand turns. I have tripled the force I exert on the rear brake, which I didn't do last year. The fact is that I'm not at Marc's level."
Did you try the tank evolution this morning?
"Yes, but in the end I preferred the classic one."