“I have to improve the Sprints” - Francesco Bagnaia 5th for Saturday MotoGP points

With just three points separating title leader Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia heading into the second half of the MotoGP season, the reigning double champion says it’s like “starting from zero” in Austria this weekend.

“For sure in this moment to be leading the championship is not that important. It's like starting from zero again. 10 races to go, and we have just three points between us,” Bagnaia said.

But he also knows a clear area for improvement.

At present, the Italian is relying heavily on his Sunday scores. Indeed, Bagnaia would lead the world championship by a healthy 38 points under the old (pre-Sprint) system.

However, Bagnaia’s Saturday-only tally of 45 points is just the fifth best this season behind Martin (86 points), Marc Marquez (58), Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales (51) and Enea Bastianini (47).

“It's true in this second part of the season, I have to improve the Sprint races because it's where Jorge is doing the difference and try to be perfect and smooth every time,” Bagnaia acknowledged.

The split Saturday and Sunday only points after 10 of 20 rounds can be seen below: