Pedrosa: I said ‘one last push' for Pecco and podium...

Wild-card star Dani Pedrosa came within 0.7s of his first MotoGP podium since 2017 at Misano as he put the new carbon fibre KTM chassis in the wheeltracks of reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia.

Peter McLaren

10 Sep 2023

Dani Pedrosa, MotoGP race, San Marino MotoGP, 10 September

In a repeat of the Sprint, Pedrosa found himself reeling in the injured Bagnaia but couldn’t quite attack.

“I'm happy. I really enjoyed this race,” said Pedrosa, who had finished seventh in his previous Spanish Grand Prix wild-card, on the standard steel frame.

“I had a little bit of a struggle in the first laps with the rear tyre, because I couldn’t get enough temperature. So I had a few moments already in the opening lap and was losing touch with the first three.

“Then Binder overtook me. Actually when I saw him coming I said ‘okay, go, because I am struggling with grip and cannot follow’.

“Then once I got good tyre temperature I was able to recover the gap I lost at the beginning. Then Binder crashed, so I recovered P4.

“I tried to be a little faster, started to go into ‘31s and I could see that I was catching.

“Once I was almost in the group, I had a big highside and almost crashed again. I lost touch once more, but was not far from the first three. I was thinking ‘if I can get close, maybe they will fight and there will be an opening. I can try for the podium’.

“In the last laps, Pecco was struggling a bit more. I said ‘one last push, try to be close, and maybe plan an attack in the last two laps’. I was right behind him. Then when he felt I was coming, he put in some last energy and was able to hold me back.

“So, very close to the podium. Again similar race to yesterday, just longer. But a really cool weekend. Thanks to my team and all my mechanics.”

Afterwards, it was revealed that Pedrosa had been under the recommended minimum tyre pressure for more than 50% of the race distance. Like Maverick Vinales in Catalunya, as a first offence he received only an official warning.

“Maybe because I was riding on my own I didn’t bring up enough pressure. Because yesterday I was higher and actually the feeling was better yesterday than today,” Pedrosa said.

Coy about the futuristic carbon fibre chassis all weekend, Pedrosa confirmed that the full-time riders will try it in tomorrow’s test.

“The bike performed quite good and one of the important things was to see the performance [of the carbon fibre chassis] with other riders, in the slipstream and so on,” he said.

“I can see we still have to improve some areas. It’s only the very, very beginning and we just decided to take this chance to put it in the race so that we can more or less have bigger knowledge about it. Tomorrow our riders will try.”

Misano was Pedrosa’s last wild-card of the season, but does the 31 time MotoGP winner have any thoughts of a full time comeback?

“No, no! It is even more clear!” he smiled.