Pecco Bagnaia was just a few thousandths away from going to sleep with the best time of the first free practice day at the Thai Grand Prix. Specifically, 18 thousandths behind Johann Zarco, first classified.
One more weekend, the Ducati marked territory in training, taking the first three positions. And that is excellent news in Italian boxing, after Bagnaia had to suffer at the last Japanese Grand Prix, where he crashed while fighting for eighth position.
Although he finished second, the day did not start in the best way for the Borgo Panigale leader. “This morning I was a little worried, because the sensations were similar to Japan,” he admitted to the media at the end of FP2. “But we have worked very well and we have found solutions. At the end of FP2 my feelings on the bike, and both the race pace and the lap launched are good”.
“We concentrated on the soft tyre, because after three fast laps it didn’t drop too much. I think the pace is similar with all the compounds, and it’s hard to know which one is better,” he added.
The MotoGP paddock has not visited the Asian circuits since 2019 , usually held already in the autumn season, and Pecco arrived in Buriram with his last memory of the circuit: “In 2019 I made many mistakes and suffered a lot under braking and in the corners of the sector three, but that’s not a problem anymore. We lose a bit on the straight after the first corner, and that’s where the KTMs are going the fastest.”
The transalpine did not hesitate to place Marc Márquez, the fastest in the morning and the first non-Ducati in the table, as a clear candidate to take the 25 points on Sunday. “I think Marc is the one with the best pace,” he declared. “It’s difficult to know now, because each one has tried different things. But I think Marc is one more, and for sure he will be competitive.”
Currently, Bagnaia is second in the general classification, 18 points behind Quartararo.
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