Pecco Bagnaia feels at home in Motorland, and that is evident. The winner of the last four races arrives at a track that he likes and on which he achieved, in 2021, his first MotoGP victory. The first day was positive for the Italian, who finished FP2 with the fifth fastest time (1’47.639, two tenths behind Jorge MartÃn).
But the surprise came at the press conference after the afternoon session. While many riders complained about the lack of grip offered by the Alcañiz track, Bagnaia was firm in stating that “there is more grip than last year”.
“We have to keep in mind that this asphalt is thirteen years old,” he commented, “and it is an example of what needs to be done in the future, because for a thirteen-year-old the grip is good.” “Obviously the grip is low, but from my point of view it’s similar to last year. They should think about resurfacing, because it’s a bit old and it’s starting to be too slippery.”
There is more or less grip, in what he did coincide with his comrades-in-arms is in the strong fall of the tires after two laps . “The race pace is going to be three or four tenths slower than the fastest lap, but it’s the same as last year. I don’t think we’ll see a 1:47 in the race, because if you do it the tire will drop a lot.
Despite this, Pecco said he was “happy” with his speed in free practice. “We’ve been competitive from the start. Our one lap attempts didn’t go well, but I’m still happy. On Fridays we have to check everything, and I don’t usually think about the time attack , I prefer to focus on understanding how to manage the tyres.”
Likewise, he also commented that Ducat i are working to improve braking , after having released a new aerodynamic kit that does not favor this work. “We know that with the new fairings we have less stopping power, but in any case we are working on it and I think we are on the right track.”
Looking ahead to the race, the second-placed overall believes that the key will lie in “knowing how to manage the tyres”, to which he added that they can still “lower a few tenths” to be able to ride “calmer”.
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