Bagnaia: I have a great possibility to do my first victory

Francesco Bagnaia will line-up second for the MotoGP of Styria after coming within four hundreths of pole position. 

Bagnaia’s first lap out of the pits on his second and final run saw him move ahead of Fabio Quartararo, before fellow Ducati rider Jorge Martin surpassed the Italian with a new all-time lap record.

With Bagnaia qualifying second and four Ducatis rounding out the top six positions, it’s a result that’s done little to suppress the notion of Austria being a ‘Ducati track’. 

And although Bagnaia feels like the Red Bull Ring presents a ‘great possibility’ to claim a first premier class win, the advantage is less for the Bologna bullets than in ‘past years’.  

Bagnaia added: "This year the difference between manufacturers is less than the past years. In the past years Ducati and Honda were so (much) faster than the others, but now not. 

"If we look at the FP4 I was the only Ducati in the top six. I think that things are changing. 

"In Jerez Ducati normally struggles, but this year we finished first and second so I think all the manufacturers are closer. 

"For sure we have an advantage in terms of the straights and in the speed, but they have an advantage in turning and in sector three. 

"I have a great possibility to do my first victory (MotoGP), but also it will not be so easy like maybe everyone expects."

Bagnaia was fastest during this morning’s FP3, while also showing strong race pace in FP4. 

But while the results in those sessions are nothing new to Bagnaia who has multiple poles to his name, an ‘enormous step’ regarding ‘the mentality’ has been made according to the Italian who took just two days off during the summer break.  

"First of all, I didn’t do the holidays. I waited just two days and then on the Wednesday I was already training in the gym with my trainer," said Bagnaia.  

"Something where I was losing; I started well on this point (beginning of the season), but then during the season I was struggling a bit more to push always over the problems. 

"In Assen I tried it but it was very, very difficult. Another type of work we have done was to work with the Panigale and I think that I did an enormous step in front in terms of remaining constant and fast with also used tyres. 

"I think that it worked very well this summer break and when you work a lot and you know you are working very hard, your mentality is more focused. I trained it like this."