“Francesco Bagnaia wins the Spanish GP after mental struggle and Ducati machine issues”

Spanish GP

“Mentally, this race will have been very difficult, admitted Francesco Bagnaia, Sunday afternoon, after crossing the finish line of the Jerez circuit as the winner. After two crashes in a row in Argentina and Texas, I no longer had room for error. »

So he could perhaps have settled for a third place behind the two KTMs of Brad Binder and Jack Miller, in great shape on the Andalusian turnstile. On the eve of the first day of testing for the fourth event of the season, didn’t Bagnaia confide that he might have to review his strategy? “A victory, for me, is to be in the lead, to attack and to control my lead, he slipped in a press conference. Maybe I should start working another way. Maybe in the United States I should have let Alex Rins pass to observe him. These two falls in a row, at Termas de Rio Hondo and at Austin, the Ducati rider puts them largely down to a machine that is too perfect. “A motorcycle that does not warn, he breathes. It is so powerful that I find it difficult to identify its limits. »

A GP to forget for the French

Last year, the Turinese had crashed several times at the start of the season, the fault of a GP22 lacking in development. Nothing to do with the current situation. “The 2023 motorcycle is an evolution of the 2022, recalls Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati’s sporting director. It is a successful motorcycle that we know well. However, on Friday in Jerez, Bagnaia found himself struggling on the first day of testing. Forced to go through Q1, the Italian nevertheless managed to climb to the second row of the starting grid before taking second place in the sprint race. The best was yet to come. Yesterday afternoon, Pecco set off again in the wake of the two KTMs. And he did not rush to try to escape alone in front. He got rid of Miller first, then took the time to let his front tire cool before outflanking Binder. Setting the fastest lap in the race five laps from the finish, the world champion delivered a Master Class to his opponents, thus making people forget his blunders in the last two Grands Prix. “The team helped me regain my feelings with my bike after a difficult first day of testing, he confides. I could indeed have settled for a podium, but it was important to me to win to motivate the team. Winning after my last setbacks is good for the ego. »

On the French side, this Spanish Grand Prix was not a success. Johann Zarco fell while he was in fifth place and forced to keep contact with the leaders. As for Fabio Quartararo, involved in a collision at the start which required the interruption of the race to evacuate Miguel Oliveira, hit in the shoulder, he crossed the finish line in tenth position.