Bagnaia: "We have other priorities than looking at the time sheet"

The new bike from the Borgo Panigale house scares its rivals and the Italian factory’s own riders cataloged it as a “perfect machine” after the pre-season tests held in Jerez last November.

However, the staging on the first day of the pre-season test this Saturday in Sepang has not been as brilliant as expected.

Pecco Bagnaia, the spearhead of the Ducatista project in MotoGP, could only close his fastest lap in 2.00.027, just behind Jorge Martín (17th) and Luca Marini (18th) and with Jack Miller in 22nd position of the times, more than 1.8 seconds behind the reference of the day, left by Aleix Espargaró.

The only rider on the track with the Desmosedici GP22 who could set a reasonably acceptable time was Johann Zarco (1.58.946), who finished fifth. The best Ducati was that of Enea Bastianini, who finished fourth, surpassed at the end by Maverick Viñales and Alex Rins, after having been second most of the day, however the young Gresini team rider has a GP21, last year’s bike .

“Enea was very good today, but we know perfectly well that his is a bike that is in a position to win races and he immediately felt good on it,” Bagnaia explained this Saturday at the end of the day.

“Honestly, being the first day of testing, I’m not even remotely interested in looking at the time classification. For us now, the important thing is to accumulate data, ride the new bike, and try to understand some things, because the engine is new, but the electronics are the same. So we need to make them work together and we’ve been concentrating on it all day.”

“Surely today we have only taken a few steps forward, especially in the last two starts of the day in which, despite having very worn tires, we have been able to ride in 2.00.5, which is not bad at all,” continued the Italian. .

Last year’s world runner-up does not want to lose sight of what is really important in these tests, which is adjusting the new machinery.

“With the old bike we would have gone faster, there is no doubt about that, but right now we have to focus on other things that have priority, and in any case I am happy with how the day has gone for us,” settled #63 .

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team