Dall’Igna: Bagnaia “had excellent rhythm”, clash with Vinales “frustrating”

Ducati Corse General Manager, Luigi Dall’Igna, feels a big opportunity went missing for MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia in Le Mans.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati MotoGP Le Mans 2023
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati MotoGP Le Mans 2023

After finishing third in the sprint despite a lack of pace hindering him in the early laps, Bagnaia looked set to contend for victory before a collision with Maverick Vinales.

In said sprint, Bagnaia had issues with tyre warm up which led to Jorge Martin, Brad Binder, Marc Marquez and Luca Marini all finding their way through on the reigning world champion.

But after managing to steady the ship, Bagnaia bounced back to claim third, the same position he was sitting in prior to crashing out.

After seeing Vinales come through at turn ten, Bagnaia attempted to fight back around the outside when the Aprilia rider ran slightly off line to complete the overtake.

But with Bagnaia leaving little room for Vinales, who was looking to his left in preparation for the next corner, the former Yamaha rider was therefore unable to see Bagnaia which resulted in not one, but two collisions, the second of which saw both men go down hard. 

A clear racing incident, both riders were left frustrated in the initial aftermath but agreed with that claim. What the accident did was cost both riders a chance at victory which Dall’Igna agreed with when it came to his rider.

Dall’Igna told Corsedimoto.com: "It's even more frustrating because all the prerequisites for a good result were there. Pecco had an excellent rhythm, he demonstrated it also with the pole position and the podium in the sprint."

Although Bagnaia saw his attempts at claiming a fifth victory this season disappear due to the collision, Ducati still managed to claim a podium lockout thanks to Marco Bezzecchi’s win and the Pramac duo finishing second and third. 

"We are delighted with an all-Ducati podium, Bezzecchi was sensational and his unstoppable pace was dictated by talent, ambition and determination," added Dall’Igna. "It is the result of a VR46 team that’s doing a great job, with both riders always protagonists."

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