Bagnaia reacts to Qatar: I'll work more on riding style from Friday
"I'm not a tester, I'm here to win, and I need to be concentrated on riding in the best way possible".
Those were the words of a downbeat Francesco Bagnaia after a difficult Qatar season-opener ended in an fall from eighth place that also took out fellow Ducati rider Jorge Martin.
Bagnaia's frustration stemmed from what he felt had been too much emphasis on 'testing' during the early stages of the weekend, leaving the reigning title runner-up unprepared for the race.
It's a mistake he's determined to rectify at Mandalika this weekend.
"Compared to the first weekend in Qatar, I'll try to work more on my riding style starting from the first sessions to find the right feeling with the Desmosedici GP right away," said the Italian.
"I'm very determined and confident that I can do well this weekend".
Last month's Mandalika test was the venue where the factory Ducati team appears to have decided on the surprise switch from the full GP22 engine to a hybrid 2021-2022 design.
Bagnaia set the sixth fastest lap at the dusty test and was happy with his race simulation on the medium tyre. However, a partial resurfacing, modified tyre allocation and ever-present threat of rain will await the riders this weekend.
"I like the Mandalika track, and I had positive sensations during the test in February. I hope the grip conditions have improved thanks to the new asphalt, but in general, I think it's a good track for the characteristics of our bike," Bagnaia said.
Miller also failed to reach the finish in Qatar, but for technical reasons. The engine management o the Australian's Desmosedici became out-of-sync with his actual location on the track, meaning his fourth on the grid qualifying went to waste.
"I'm happy to be back on track this weekend and finally be able to put the Qatar race behind me," Miller said.
"The season definitely didn't get off to the start we were hoping for, but we were in a good position at Losail, and if we hadn't had a technical problem, we could have been aiming for a good result.
"So I hope I can continue in the same direction and take more steps forward to redeem myself on Sunday. I'm ready to face any condition to obtain a good result".
Compounding the Qatar woes for the factory riders was that Enea Bastianini romped to victory on the team's former GP21 machine, with Johann Zarco best of the surviving GP22's in eighth.
On the other hand, with the likes of pre-season favourites Marc Marquez (Honda), Joan Mir (Suzuki) and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) all failing to finish on the podium, the points damage due to their DNFs could have been far greater.
