Bagnaia has ‘great, great feeling’, claims Misano pole with third lap record
Just as he managed seven days ago in Aragon, Francesco Bagnaia made his final couple of laps in Q2 count to claim yet another new lap record and MotoGP pole position.
The Italian was second best to title rival Fabio Quartararo following the opening run, however, Bagnaia’ penultimate effort eventually saw him go over three tenths quicker than the Frenchman who crashed on his final lap - turn one.
Jack Miller, who said before the weekend that he would assist Bagnaia regarding the championship if the opportunity presented itself, managed to separate his team-mate and Quartararo with second.
For Bagnaia, it’s a qualifying result that sees him claim his third outright lap record of 2021 - did so with pole in Doha and the above-mentioned Aragon.
Speaking after clinching the home pole, Bagnaia said: "I’m very happy about today. One week ago we were in Aragon with a great, great feeling, and today is the same.
"It's been two weeks already where I started and everything is going so well because I found it very well with the bike, very comfortable and everything is okay."
Bagnaia hasn’t just been fast in dry conditions this weekend, but also the wet as we saw with his second place in Friday’s FP2.
But although last weekend’s race winner could potentially gain more points on championship leader Fabio Quartararo if it’s wet - 50/50 as to whether it will rain for tomorrow’s race, the Italian is still hoping for a dry race.
Bagnaia added: "In the wet, in FP2 I was feeling great. Last time we rode in the wet I was struggling a bit more in the first part of the sessions but not yesterday, so, we are ready and we’re prepared for all conditions.
"The FP4 was great also and I prefer dry for sure. Wet is more critical and it’s easier to make mistakes. Also, this track does not have a great level of grip, so it’s better to have dry.
"I know that in the wet we have more opportunities to close the gap, but I think 53 points is still a lot and I just have to continue gaining points to Fabio [Quartararo]."
