AFTER recording victory in the Austrian GP Sprint Race, Saturday (17/8), defending champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) admitted that he was confident he could perfect it by winning the main race at the Red Bull Ring Circuit, Sunday (18/8).
This optimism cannot be separated from Bagnaia who managed to equalize the number of points in the temporary standings with his closest rival, namely Jorge Martin.
(Prima Pramac), with 250 points collected.
“Overall, it was a fantastic (Sprint) win and I now have a lot of data for the main race. It won’t be easy for sure, but I’m satisfied at the moment,” said Bagnaia, quoted from Ducati’s official website.
Regarding the course of the short race, Bagnaia admitted that he tried his best to give Martin, who was the polesitter, maximum and difficult resistance.
“I knew it was important to lead from the beginning and Jorge (Martin) tried everything to stay in front. I tried to overtake him but
“Then he went wide. As soon as that happened, I checked the gap and I saw that he was 0.3 seconds behind, which means he didn’t lose a second, so I was sure he would most likely receive a long-lap penalty,” Bagnaia explained.
“After that, the next important key is how I can manage the distance in front,” he added.
Also read: Francesco Bagnaia Determined to Repeat Last Season’s Domination at the Austrian GP
On the other hand, Bagnaia’s teammate, Enea Bastianini, finished fourth in the Austrian GP Sprint Race. Bastianini admitted that he was too aggressive when starting the short race.
“I started a bit behind, so I tried to push hard from the beginning, but I ended up making a mistake in the first corner. I ended up going wide and once I rejoined I dropped to ninth,” said Bastianini.
“Since then, everything has gone quite well and the performance has exceeded my expectations, because my feeling is much better than before.
which I felt in practice and qualifying, considering my previous lack of confidence with the front,’ he continued.
Also read: Ducati Boss Praises Francesco Bagnaia’s Perfect Performance
Although he failed to complete it with a podium, the Italian racer admitted that he was quite satisfied with the results he achieved.
“I was very close to Aleix (Espargaro) in the final stages and without that mistake a podium finish would have been possible,” said Bastianini.
“I’m confident for the main race and I’m sure we won’t change much. For sure, it will be a much longer race, so let’s see how it goes,” he concluded. (Ant/Z-1)
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