Bagnaia “intense pain, can’t move leg or foot, I need a beer!”
The factory Ducati rider escaped serious injury despite highsiding then being hit by Brad Binder’s KTM last weekend in Barcelona.
He was seventh quickest in Friday practice at the San Marino MotoGP - but was left in more pain than he expected, from the lingering knocks he suffered in Barcelona.
“I feel like I need a beer,” he insisted.
Asked if he felt better than expected returning to the bike, Bagnaia answered: “No, worse. I was hoping to feel better this morning.
“Honestly, I can’t move the leg or the foot because I feel pain from the hematoma.
“This morning was tough because I didn’t understand where to put my foot.
“Then we moved the brake lever. I was pushing on the brake lever and losing the rear in every fast corner which was scary.
“This afternoon I understood where to put my foot. I can’t lean like usual.
“The pain is intense but I feel better than this morning because we were competitive.
“I don’t know what to expect from tomorrow.
“Being top 10 today was like pole position! We can be happy and satisfied.”
Bagnaia was asked how much performance he’s losing due to the pain, and replied: “It’s very difficult to know. Normally I put out my leg for balance to brake more.
“I can do it but not the same, I’m more unstable on the braking.
“When I lean, I miss a bit. But I can’t force it, with my leg. It’s a limitation.
“Luckily this track has a lot of grip.”
Unlike the Catalunya MotoGP last weekend which, in Bagnaia’s opinion, has unacceptably low grip.
“What I’d say to the safety commission? There must be a mandatory level of grip,” he claimed.
“Barcelona is a disaster, it’s too slippery, impossible to plan a weekend with your tyres. For me, it’s not possible to have a level of grip like in Barcelona.
“It’s unsafe. A little mistake you crash. It’s not enjoyable to ride on a track where you must be patient on the gas.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
