Bagnaia: Austria win “one of the best this season, front pressure on the limit”

Like in the sprint, where Bagnaia also went on to claim victory after leading every lap, the reigning MotoGP champion made the perfect start in order to hold off both factory KTM.

Jack Miller lost touch very quickly, however, Brad Binder remained very close to the Ducati rider for several laps, which meant Bagnaia was pushing to the limit. 

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Binder’s charge then came to an end as he began to suffer with front tyre pressures, but although Bagnaia was out front and had the luxury of clean air, he too was feeling as though the front was close to becoming a problem.

While it’s clear that following other riders is worse for the tyre pressure, plus the added fact that Bagnaia was a no point in the dirty air of another bike, Bagnaia admitted it was not easy to control the pressure.

"I didn’t have the chance to be in a group but it was already on the limit," said Bagnaia. "I was over the limit by far. 

"We had more margin for this race which was helpful for sure, but I was alone and my pressure was still over 2. 

"It became more difficult to ride over 1.9, so in any case it was not easy but we have to understand it, improve and we have to just get used to it."

Despite having issues with his front tyre as well, Bagnaia was unchallenged as he secured one of his most dominant wins ever in the premier class. 

The Italian added: "We did such an incredible job. We improved a lot from Friday where I had a good feeling but was missing something. 

"Yesterday we improved and today in the race it was really hot and I already knew that the rear tyre could be a mess. 

"The front tyre was at the start but right now we are understanding how to improve that a bit more. It is one of the best wins this season in terms of speed and consistency."