Francesco Bagnaia Reflects on Painful San Marino GP Conclusion: ‘A Disaster’ Amid Rain and Injuries

Francesco Bagnaia describes "disastrous" race finish as "pain" sets in

MotoGP titleholder comments on painful end to San Marino MotoGP

Francesco Bagnaia from Ducati described the last laps of the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix as "a disaster," citing a loss of focus and increasing pain from his injuries as the reasons.

The current world titleholder sustained slight injuries to his shoulder and back after colliding with Alex Marquez during the Aragon Grand Prix, which led to him competing under the influence of painkillers at Misano.

Bagnaia started from pole position, secured second place in the sprint race, and initially led the grand prix before ultimately ending up in second place behind Marc Marquez amidst challenging conditions.

Throughout most of the race, Bagnaia managed to maintain a comfortable distance from Marquez. However, in the final laps, he significantly slowed down and finished 3.1 seconds behind at the finish line.

He later clarified that when he decided to stop competing for victory, his thoughts became consumed by the pain from his injuries.

"I aimed to clinch the victory. If it hadn't rained, I had a strong chance of winning since my speed was excellent. Jorge [Martin], who was behind me, would have likely struggled to pass me, just as I did during the sprint," Bagnaia mentioned.

"However, the moment the rain began, I watched him step into the shelter, and my perspective shifted completely."

"I thought to myself, 'Alright, there's no need for me to risk a crash since he won't score any points.' That's when Marc showed up, being the boldest in handling the wet conditions."

"Once he passed me, I attempted to pass him again, but I didn't get the opportunity."

"When I chose to settle for second place with four or five laps remaining, I lost my focus on maintaining top speed and began to concentrate more on the discomfort."

"It was awful because it felt as though the pain relief suddenly stopped working all at once. It was a complete disaster."

Entering Sunday’s grand prix, Martin had a 26-point lead, but due to a strategic mistake by the Spaniard, Bagnaia is now just seven points behind in the rankings.

Bagnaia doesn't view this outcome as a win, especially after his difficulties in Aragon, but admits it still feels satisfying.

"Given what transpired last week and my limited ability to perform on Monday, yes, I would have agreed to this championship outcome before the weekend," he responded when questioned.

"I was in a significant amount of pain, and it wasn't easy to manage. However, my team and I put in a lot of effort as usual, and I have to acknowledge my physiotherapist for doing an excellent job once again."

"My coach Carlo as well. I'm extremely proud of our accomplishments. This year's situation wasn't as severe as last year's, but I believe that dealing with pain in the arms and shoulders is more challenging than in the legs."

"While you can compensate with your arms when it comes to using your legs, the opposite isn't true. You can't achieve the same speed with your legs as you can with your arms, which made the riding experience somewhat more challenging."

"I managed to race the way I planned, but the final stretch was painful. Even though it’s not a win, it still feels satisfying."

"Yesterday, I felt frustrated because I missed an opportunity to secure a win. Today, I gave it my all but still came up short. Achieving more than that proved to be challenging."

Bastianini Battles Illness to Secure Podium Finish

Enea Bastianini, who rides for Ducati alongside Bagnaia, managed to climb from an eighth-place start to secure third place. At one point during the race, his speed posed a challenge to the frontrunners.

Bastianini was among the numerous racers affected by sickness at Misano and began the grand prix feeling unwell.

Opting for the soft rear tire while the frontrunners chose the medium, Bastianini initially had strong speed but confessed to having difficulties towards the end as the tire wore out.

He started by expressing his joy for securing a spot on the podium, despite not feeling well earlier in the day.

"I began the race without any particular strategy in mind. It got challenging after a few laps when it started to drizzle, and I made an effort to catch up to Pecco, who had gained some distance ahead of me."

"In the end, I came very close. However, when the group behind me caught up, it became difficult to secure a win, especially since I had soft tires on the rear. My start was strong, but I faced some challenges towards the finish."

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