Bagnaia credits ‘incredible start’ en route to second MotoGP victory

Francesco Bagnaia survived a late charge from championship leader Fabio Quartararo to make it consecutive MotoGP wins. 

Bagnaia seemed to be on course for an utterly dominant win after leading by three seconds at the mid-race point. 

But while the Italian did lead every lap of the race in the end, it was far from comfortable during the final ten laps. 

Bagnaia’s soft rear tyre began marking up quite considerably on the left side as opposed to  Quartararo’s medium rear which held it’s grip much better throughout. 

This led to the Frenchman starting a run of laps where he gained around three tenths before closing in to just under four tenths at the start of the penultimate lap. 

However, Bagnaia was able to use his strengths in sectors three and four to hold on, while he also alluded to the opening part of the race being ‘very important’ after knowing the soft rear would struggle. 

"I knew that it was very important to start well and already be pushing from the start because with the soft, the grip initially was better," said Bagnaia. 

"I was also knowing that Fabio [Quartararo] in the last part of the race would be faster with the medium. So, I just tried to be fast and constant from the start. 

"I did my best start ever because I started when the light went off, so it was incredible. I trained a lot for this [ he joked]. When I passed the first straight I was already looking to the board and it was plus 1.0 seconds which was incredible already. 

"Then I just tried to manage the tyres and the last laps were very difficult. Fabio was recovering four/five tenths per lap so it was not easy. 

"But in the last lap I just tried to do the best and my sector three was my fastest of the race. So it was great."

While Bagnaia’s two wins have come down to holding off a competitor on the final lap - albeit in very different circumstances, the 24 year-old said today’s race was tougher because of the physicality of the Misano track.

Bagnaia added: "For me this one (more difficult) because this is a shorter track with more laps and it is more difficult physically. 

"In this track you don’t have time to relax. In Aragon you have more time to stay in the straight and take more breaks. Also because I was looking at the gap that was reducing, so it was very difficult to remain concentrated in that moment. 

"I knew it would be like this because pushing like this in the beginning also means that in the last part you have a little less grip." 

Bagnaia’s home win rounds off a superb seven days which also includes back-to-back pole positions and two new lap records at Aragon and Misano.