Bullish Bagnaia warns he’s finally back to peak fitness as title fight hots up
The factory Ducati rider’s 66-point command in the MotoGP standings has dwindled down to just a three-point lead over Jorge Martin ahead of the sprint race at Mandalika.
Bagnaia finished 16th in Friday practice meaning he must enter Q1 for the first time since the Spanish MotoGP earlier this year.
“It’s maybe the first time after Le Mans that I’m 100%, so I’m very happy about it,” he warned despite a disappointing Friday.
Bagnaia, of course, suffered a terrifying incident in Barcelona when he was struck by Brad Binder’s KTM and hasn’t seemed on top form ever since.
He reacted on Friday in Mandalika: “In Jerez I was in Q1 and we won the race, the day after. I’m not scared about it.
“I know the problem, what we have to adjust on the electronics side.
“It will be interesting tomorrow. We will have a small racing line.
“It is very dirty so starting behind can be a problem.
“Doing overtakes here is not easy in a normal situation but, like this, it’s even worse.”
Bagnaia insisted a below-par practice session did not tell the full story: “I was not expecting, honestly, to be out of Q2.
“My feeling with the bike is finally back.
“I am feeling incredible with the bike. I can brake very hard, the corner speed is insane, the level of grip is huge. Very happy!
“We lost something on electronics which today didn’t work as expected. Maybe because the tarmac is different. Maybe it’s because of that, that I was struggling.
“Normally our bike is very smooth on acceleration and braking. Today the rear of my bike was very aggressive. I was losing the rear in conditions that I was not expecting.
“When I lost the rear on the time attack, in that moment the engine braking was very low. Losing the rear like this is quite strange.
“But I’m happy the problem comes from the electronics side. It’s not a problem, it’s just something to adjust. I’m sure it’s easy to improve.”
