We felt it coming for a few weeks, and Marco Bezzecchi has now obtained a first major reward by climbing the podium of a MotoGP Grand Prix. Second in the Assen race, the young Italian driver welcomed this performance with the pragmatism that characterizes him, explaining the opportunism he was able to show in trying to keep up with the pace of a leader he knows perfectly well, Pecco Bagnaiahis sidekick at the VR46 Riders Academy.
More embarrassed by the choice of a soft rear tire whose resistance he had not tested over 26 laps than truly destabilized by the arrival of a shower, the one that Bagnaia nicknamed “the son of the rain” delivered an impeccable performance. Perfect manager of his tires and in total control when the raindrops tended to push the leader to slow downthe VR46 team driver left no room for doubt to get his first podium in the premier class.
Here is how he analyzed his race during the press conference following the podium ceremony…
You are the only driver in the top 5 to have opted for the soft rear tyre. How did you handle this?
For me, it was an incredible race. Frankly, I did not know what to expect with the software. We had worked well but with the medium, I had taken him to the distance of the race and I did not expect him not to be good. Since I was very fast in qualifying, I told myself that it was not possible that I was so slow with the medium and that I was perhaps using the wrong tire. On the other hand, with the software I had not done more than six laps. But I ended up putting the soft. Matteo [Flamigni, chef mécanicien, ndlr] really put me at ease with this choice, because I was not sure. On the grid, I still didn’t know what to do and he said to me: “We’re going to put the software, don’t worry, you were good”.
When I saw Pecco in front, I thought I would try to follow him. It’s not that I wanted to catch up with him − well, if I might have I would have tried − but the objective was to detach myself from the others because Maverick [Viñales] was very quick. It’s a fantastic feeling!
Marco Bezzecchi spent the first half of the race ahead of Jorge Martín
You were just behind Fabio Quartararo and Aleix Espargaró when they came out: what did you see?
Fabio tried to pass Aleix. In this bend I was passed by Jack [Miller], but when you try to squeeze the driver passing you, it’s a tricky turn. I think to pass him maybe Fabio had to go a bit too fast, then when he got close to him I think he pressed the brakes harder to try not to hit him, but I do not know. Anyway, when I saw them fall, I was like… “OK, I’m trying to go!” [rires]
And how did you manage the arrival of the rain? You were fast in these conditions!
Normally, when the rain comes, it’s a situation that I like. Idalio [Gavira, coach pilotes] always tells me that as long as you don’t have the rain on your neck, it’s not raining. I saw that Pecco wasn’t slowing down much so I thought maybe I had the chance to really get that podium. When the rain started to fall, I took my speed up a notch.
[Bagnaia] You are the son of the rain!
[rires] My mother is the wind and my father is the rain!
You had never been on the podium in Assen and you manage to do so in MotoGP, when it is a particularly difficult track and dry testing has been limited. How did you do ?
I do not know ! [rires] Frankly, I was happy to come here, it’s a track that I like. But I always finished close to the podium without getting on it. When I left home, I didn’t expect to fight for the podium. Having said that, I said something to my girlfriend… We were eating, I was looking at my house and I said: “Where can I put my first MotoGP trophy?” It’s amazing, it’s been happening to me for quite a few races. For example, at Mugello I had a dream: I was in myself, I was qualifying behind Pecco, I passed him on the straight, I was on pole and I heard the cheers of the fans. Then, in qualifying I practically took pole, I started from the front row. And now here!
It’s fantastic. Frankly, I felt good. Maybe the key for my race was that I worked with a tire that had no grip at all, the medium, then for the race I put the soft and the bike was suddenly different. I tried not to stress the tire too much, to be smart with the engine mapping, I tried to be gentle on the throttle, especially on the right. And then I tried to follow Pecco and get away from Maverick.
