Pecco Bagnaia acknowledges that he had the capability to increase his speed further, but he opted to maintain the gap throughout the Qatar MotoGP.
The two-time MotoGP champion dominated every lap of the Qatar Grand Prix, outperforming Brad Binder and Jorge Martin.
Bagnaia had a straightforward strategy: overtake Martin on the first lap and then set a pace that was strong enough to establish a slight gap, without excessively wearing out his tires.
When asked if it was the best start to the year he could have hoped for, Bagnaia replied, “Absolutely. It was crucial after yesterday to tweak the strategy a bit in the early laps.
“I decided to be a bit more assertive, knowing that if I could lead in the opening laps, my potential was strong enough to establish a gap.
“Yesterday’s sprint was a valuable lesson that prompted me to adjust my approach to achieve performance with the new bike.
“I must thank my team because we worked tirelessly from yesterday evening to this morning to fine-tune the setup for the race. Overall, it was the perfect beginning to the season.”
Following the vibration issues in the sprint, Bagnaia took it upon himself to ride in a different manner.
The Italian explained, “I adapted my riding style. I found a way to deliver performance that worked with the vibrations. Today, I only felt it a bit in the last two laps, in just one corner, so it was a successful adjustment.”
“Perhaps in Portimao, we won’t encounter this issue since the track grip there is completely different. However, I believe we know exactly what to do in case of vibrations.”
Bagnaia’s consistent pace throughout the race kept Binder and Martin within reach, but not too close.
Binder managed to close the gap to just under a second at times, but whenever he did, Bagnaia increased his pace once more.
Bagnaia remarked, “There was potential to go faster. The bike was capable of 52.2/1, but it wasn’t beneficial because a lap like that could jeopardize everything.
“I focused on maintaining as much consistency as possible. Whenever I saw Brad gaining two or three tenths, I responded with laps where I reduced my pace by the same amount.
“I aimed to manage the rear tire perfectly on corner exits, as this made it easier to control the gap.”
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