Yesterday, Bagnaia still held out some hope for the race in Goiânia, confident in his pace despite having to start in the middle of the pack. It took just a few laps to realize it would be another grueling Grand Prix, and in the end, he didn’t even see the chequered flag. He crashed on the 11th lap, when he was in the middle of the field. The optimism from winter testing seems to have already faded after just two Grand Prix races.
“I was trying to hang on, but I crashed anyway,” Pecco said dejectedly. “Maybe I didn’t quite understand the conditions, and I was struggling a lot to stay on the bike. The grip was very low, and, as I said, I didn’t understand the conditions.”
What’s missing for you?
“It’s hard to say because last year it was always like this, but this year, in testing and even here—racing aside—I’d always had good feelings. I need to improve because in FP2 I was in the top positions, and the same this morning in the warm-up; I’d only made one mistake in qualifying, but my pace was good. It’s strange that I then struggled so much in the Sprint and in the race; I just need to improve.”
Are you having the same problems as last year?
“More or less. I struggle quite a bit to stop the bike and maintain normal cornering speed, and then there’s a lack of rear grip. During practice I felt better, but not in the race; the problems are with braking and corner entry.”
Does the situation get worse when you’re in the pack?
“When you’re following someone, the front tyre temperature rises and it becomes difficult to push as hard as usual, but last year I was in even more trouble. I had to stay half a second behind the rider in front of me; now I can stay closer.”
What do you think of the decision to shorten the race due to the track conditions?
“I don’t want to get into those discussions; I’ve got my own problems. But it is what it is—this is a new track, but even in Austin there are a lot of bumps every year. They’ll fix things.”
You mentioned Austin—what are your expectations for that track in a few days?
“I hope it will be like last year, when I was competitive, and I’ll try to fight for the positions I think are my goal.”