Francesco Bagnaia in Qualifying 1: “We missed the strategy”

Francesco Bagnaia will have to fight his way through Qualifying 1 at the Czech Republic MotoGP after ending Friday practice down in 13th place.

After showing a promising pace in both dry and wet conditions earlier in the day, the factory Ducati rider was caught out during the late push for a top ten place.

Bagnaia remained in the garage while rivals made gains, then went back out on the soft wet tyre for the crucial final run, when a switch to the medium was needed.

“The day itself was a positive one, but then unfortunately we missed the strategy in the final minutes, and this prevented me from finishing in the top ten,” Bagnaia admitted.

“We were very strong in dry conditions in the morning, and I was also riding well in the wet. We lost a bit too much time in the pits and this didn’t help – we didn’t make our life easy.

“I was in the box when the others were improving. Then in the last moment, the only possibility to be in the top ten was to go with the medium tyre. But we decided to go with the soft. So it was the incorrect strategy.”

Bagnaia must now go head-to-head with the likes of fellow GP25 rider Fabio di Giannantonio and Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer, for one of the two remaining Q2 slots.

“I hope the track will be dry tomorrow,” he added. “It’ll be key to work well to understand how to make the most of the grip at this track – and the time attack will also be crucial. The potential is there, but getting into Q2 is always a bit of a lottery.”

Bagnaia’s factory team-mate Marc Marquez topped the Practice session, while title rival Alex Marquez recovered from a late crash to clinch ninth on his final lap… after switching to the medium rear tyre.