Does Quartararo need a miracle? “Maybe something will happen…”
Reigning MotoGP champion Quartararo can only retain his title if he wins on Sunday, and Bagnaia finishes P15 or lower.
Quartararo qualified in fourth, with Bagnaia eighth.
Asked if he needed a miracle, Quartararo replied: “I am not thinking about that. I am thinking about the race - if I win, maybe something will happen…
“My main objective will be to fight for victory. It is the only thing I can do by myself.
“We will start in a good position, the pace is good, so I am confident.”
Quartararo conceded that he must take risks to win from the second row: “Tomorrow is a day to do whatever I want! I am 23 points behind so it’s the only positive I can find.
“My situation is to go all-in.
“I don’t need to prove anything. But I want to win. I need to be aggressive but intelligent.
“Of course, I have to go aggressively from the beginning.”
He will not keep half-an-eye on Bagnaia’s position, he insisted: “I don’t care. On TV it looks like it’s only him and me. But I need to focus on myself.
“It’s not like we have a five-point difference and are fighting closely. There is a massive difference.
“What he does is not my problem.
“When the plan is so clear, I give no energy to anything else.”
Quartararo seemed to have his Yamaha largely under control on Friday and Saturday and was pleased with his start to the final weekend of the season: “I feel good, super good. Today was one of the best Saturdays of the season! FP4 was good, the pace was great.
“Today I decided to go all-in. I am pretty happy with my position.
“Since Germany I have not fought for victory. It is important to fight until the last lap.
“The feeling is hard. The bike is not easy. On Turn 1 it shakes on the braking.”
Quartararo bullishly insisted he was proud of his first season as reigning champion, even if it ends with ceding the title to Bagnaia: “Yes. I made mistakes. There were mistakes from the team.
“But considering what happened to us at the beginning of the season, I am pretty happy and I’ve learned many things.”
Bagnaia overcame a 91-point deficit in the MotoGP standings to arrive on the final day in a commanding position.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
