Pecco Bagnaia “couldn't think of getting into Q2” at Catalunya MotoGP
Pecco Bagnaia will face Qualifying 1 after struggling to unlock enough grip on fresh tyres at Catalunya.
On a day when the top ten riders were separated by just 0.269s, Pecco Bagnaia admitted he “couldn't even think of getting into Q2” after struggling to extract performance from fresh tyres.
The factory Ducati rider finished Friday practice in 12th place, 0.350s behind KTM pace-setter Pedro Acosta, and will now need to fight through Saturday’s Qualifying 1.
"Yes, the lack of grip is well known here. I struggled a lot to exploit it, mostly trying to figure out where to find it,” Bagnaia told Sky Italia.
“We made some changes that didn't quite go the way we'd hoped, so I struggled a bit more.
“More than anything, with used tyres I can almost be faster than with new ones; I can be more consistent.
“So this is quite an important piece of data that perhaps helps us understand where we need to go with the setup.
“And on the last run I went out on track, I felt a bit better, I managed to be a bit faster, I knocked down the time a bit, but it wasn't enough.”
Bagnaia said the incredibly tight times meant even small issues proved costly.
“We're all extremely close, so we couldn't even think of getting into Q2 after a session like that, but overall we've made a small step forward; we just need to be faster with the new tyres."
VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio was the leading Ducati rider on Friday in sixth place.
Bagnaia is Ducati Lenovo’s sole representative this weekend with reigning champion Marc Marquez sidelined following surgery on his shoulder and foot.
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
