Moto GP
Bagnaia Capitalizes on Martin’s Error to Clinch Misano Sprint Victory, Closes Championship Gap
Francesco Bagnaia admits that a mistake by Jorge Martin was crucial for his victory in the Misano MotoGP sprint. Bagnaia acknowledges that winning the Misano sprint would have been difficult if not for Martin's error.
Francesco Bagnaia mentioned that Jorge Martin’s error during the sprint race of the MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was crucial for him, as passing Martin had been "extremely challenging."
The current world champion achieved a new lap record to secure pole position on Saturday at Misano. However, in the sprint race, he was once more overtaken at the start by Pramac rider Martin.
The two racers followed each other closely for seven laps until Martin made an error at Turn 13 on the eighth lap, giving Bagnaia the opportunity to take the lead, which he maintained until the race's end.
Bagnaia's victory in the sprint has reduced Martin's championship lead to a mere four points as they head into Sunday's grand prix.
In a post-race interview, Bagnaia mentioned that Martin's mistake was probably crucial for his victory.
"Thrilled about the outcome and the race overall, as I believe Jorge and I achieved something remarkable with our speed—shaving off six seconds compared to two weeks ago," he said.
"It's remarkable. The lap times we achieved were fast enough to secure a spot on the second row for qualifying, which is very significant for me, for us."
“And the same thing will happen tomorrow.
"We need to get off to a better start than we did today since I lost two positions. Tomorrow, I'll aim for the best start I can and establish my rhythm because I believe we have the potential to control the gap effectively."
"My physical condition has improved compared to two weeks ago."
Therefore, I managed to utilize my body more effectively to manage the movement and the tires.
"And it was quite beneficial because with six laps to go, I passed him. From that point, I focused on increasing the distance and maintaining control."
"I made these mistakes because it was really tough to try. I had intended to complete it in one or two laps, but being in peak physical condition definitely made a big difference."
Bagnaia pinpointed multiple spots on the track where he considered attempting an overtake, but admits he'll need to come up with a new strategy for the grand prix if he ends up trailing Martin once more.
He mentioned that he was considering making a pass on Martin at several points on the track, specifically at corner 14, as well as corners two, four, and six.
"Each time we need to shift course, I manage to gain a little advantage. It was definitely a gamble, but tomorrow it will be crucial to come up with a new strategy if we find ourselves trailing."
Just one lap before Bagnaia moved into first place, he experienced a significant front-end wobble while navigating Turn 5.
He attributed the issue to the newly repainted white lines being excessively slippery.
Reflecting on the incident during the seventh lap, he remarked, “Fortunately, managing it was straightforward.”
"The recently repainted white lines are extremely slippery, and I believe the work done was subpar."
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