2023-10-15 09:34:22
Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia came back from the fourth row of the grid in sixth place from the first lap, and by lap 3 he was already third behind Jorge Martin and Maverick Viñales. The fall of Martin, who had been leading until then, not only gave the defending champion the championship lead, but also opened up the chance of victory – and Pecco didn’t miss this opportunity.
“I put this victory on a par with the Malaysia victory last year – or perhaps even higher,” emphasized Bagnaia, who set the course for his first MotoGP title in Sepang 2022 from 9th place on the grid. «I gave everything to fight back following what happened yesterday. We did an incredible job, I’m very proud of my team.”
Pecco reported on the course of the race and Jorge Martin’s slip: “I saw that Jorge pushed really hard – really hard. From my point of view, the pace for the rear tire was really at the limit. When I saw him fall, I just tried to control it. Because I saw that Maverick was starting to have problems with the tire on the left flank. With ten laps to go I started pushing once more and it was unbelievable when I overtook him.”
What was going through Bagnaia’s mind when he saw Martin in the Turn 11 gravel trap? The 26-year-old Italian took a breath and then explained unequivocally: “My goal today was to win. When I saw that he had fallen, I just breathed a little because I didn’t have to push as hard as I had before. I might control it more. Because the rear tire started to wear off a bit, so it was very important to drive more consistently.”
On the run-off lap, the world champion meaningfully put his hand behind his ear. When asked regarding the gesture, he smiled briefly. «People talk too much sometimes. It’s better to wait and talk later. That was the reason for it,” Pecco made clear when asked.
«The last thing I did yesterday when I turned off my smartphone was to think that it was very important to get the maximum possible result today and fight for victory. We needed that and we deserved that. It’s a great boost for the remaining races,” emphasized the old and new World Championship leader, who travels on to Australia for the next showdown with an 18-point lead and a lot of self-confidence.
Result MotoGP race, Mandalika (October 15th):
1. Bagnaia, Ducati, 27 Rdn in 41:20.293 min
2. Viñales, Aprilia, + 0.306 sec
3. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0,433
4. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +6,962
5. Bezzecchi, Ducati, + 11,111
6. Binder, KTM, + 11,228
7. Miller, KTM, + 12,474
8. Bastianini, Ducati, +12,684
9. Kidneys, Honda, +22,540
10. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 30.468
11. Nakagami, Honda, +30,823
12. Oliveira, Aprilia, +36,639
13. Raúl Fernández, Aprilia, +42,864
14. Morbidelli, Yamaha, 4 laps back
– Zarco, Ducati, 13 laps back
– Martin, Ducati, 15 laps back
– Mir, Honda, 16 laps back
– Augusto Fernández, KTM, 16 laps back
– Marc Márquez, Honda, 20 laps back
– Marini, Ducati, 23 laps back
– Pol Espargaró, KTM, 26 laps back
Result MotoGP Sprint, Mandalika (10/14):
1. Martin, Ducati, 13 Rdn in 19:49,711 min
2. Marini, Ducati, + 1.131 sec
3. Bezzecchi, Ducati, + 2,081
4. Viñales, Aprilia, +2,720
5. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 3,121
6. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +4,203
7. Bastianini, Ducati, +4,981
8. Bagnaia, Ducati, +5,465
9. Miller, KTM, + 7,852
10. Oliveira, Aprilia, +8,942
11. Nakagami, Honda, +12,034
12. Zarco, Ducati, +14,015
13. Augusto Fernández, KTM, + 14,823
14. Raúl Fernández, Aprilia, +15,699
15. Morbidelli, Yamaha, +23,331
16. Mir, Honda, +24,894
17. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +27,169
18. Kidneys, Honda, +28,980
19. Binder, KTM, + 43,090
– Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 6 laps back
– Marc Márquez, Honda, did not finish first lap
World Championship standings following 30 of 40 races:
1. Bagnaia, 346 Punkte. 2. Martin 328. 3. Bezzecchi 283. 4. Binder 211. 5. Aleix Espargaró 177. 6. Viñales 165. 7. Zarco 162. 8. Marini 144. 9. Miller 135. 10. Quartararo 132. 11. Alex Márquez 108. 12. Morbidelli 79. 13. Oliveira 73. 14. Di Giannantonio 70. 15. Augusto Fernández 67. 16. Marc Márquez 64. 17. Rins 54. 18. Nakagami 50. 19. Raúl Fernández 39. 20. Bastianini 36 21. Pedrosa 32. 22. Mir 20. 23. Pol Espargaró 12. 24. Savadori 9. 25. Folger 9. 26. Bradl 8. 27. Pirro 5. 28. Petrucci 5. 29. Crutchlow 3.
Constructors’ World Championship:
1. Ducati, 527 points (world champion). 2. KTM 283. 3. Aprilia 266. 4. Yamaha 152. 6. Honda 149.
Team World Cup:
1. Prima Pramac Racing, 490 Punkte. 2. Mooney VR46 Racing 427. 3. Ducati Lenovo Team 392. 4. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 346. 5. Aprilia Racing 342. 6. Monster Energy Yamaha 211. 7. Gresini Racing 178. 8. CryptoDATA RNF 116. 9. LCR Honda 110. 10. GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 88. 10. Repsol Honda 84.
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