The Japanese GP got off to a very positive start for Francesco Bagnaia, as he himself considered after achieving the seventh fastest lap in the practice session. The world champion was happy with the feelings transmitted by the bike, although tomorrow’s forecast of rain could have a strong impact. The Italian sees himself among the strongest at this moment.
‘We can say it was a very positive Friday. We started well and I immediately felt good with the bike and everything we did on the bike was good: we improved braking, I improved my feelings and I think we can be happy’, Bagnaia began by telling the press in Motegi.
Proof of this is that, even without attacking the times, Bagnaia had the capacity, in terms of pace, to be directly in Q2: ‘This afternoon the conditions were much better and we were able to focus even more on braking and I believe our pace was fantastic, and then the attack on the times went well. In the first one I didn’t use the rear tire much, I was taking things calmly and using the grip it gave you, and the second time I was very fast but went wide in turn 11, on the last lap and I was fast at that moment so I’m happy overall, and also because without attacking the times I was in any case in Q2 because I did 1:44.00s on the first outing, so a positive day’.
Going back to the Indonesian GP, the #1 made a brief comparison with what is happening now: ‘In Mandalika, on Friday afternoon, there was something that didn’t work and it was hard to understand the direction to follow for our bike but apart from that today was a completely different story’.
When asked if he feels the strongest at the moment, Bagnaia replied: ‘At the moment I believe our pace is very good, perhaps the strongest, but it’s too early to say. Pedro [Acosta] and [Jorge] Martín are very close to me so… no, we’re all on the same level, but they are the two fastest, with me, so let’s see tomorrow. We need to take a small step forward and we already know what we have to do and we also have to be prepared in case it rains’.
And he concluded: ‘In any case it will be new for tomorrow, because in case of rain, and from what I saw in the forecast they say it will arrive, and it seems that it will arrive with force’.
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