Bagnaia broke the lap record in Qatar on Saturday with a time of 1: 52.772 minutes and achieved his first pole position in the premier class on his debut as a driver for a Ducati factory team.
The Italian’s pace during the tests made him one of the favorites of the race, but he doesn’t think he can copy the dominant manner in which Quartararo won his first MotoGP race at Jerez last year.
“I would like to make it [like this] But I think that won’t be possible, ”he said when asked if he would copy Quartararo and break off from pole on Sunday.
“So if I want to escape in the first five laps, maybe I can. But then I’ll finish 15th or 16th because of the tires.
“It’s the best way [pole position] To start this new chapter, I am very excited to start on pole position with this new team, the first.
“I missed it at Misano last year because I touched the green [run-off] in the last corner.
“But I was close today at Turn 15 to touch the green again, but I was lucky enough to close the line more and I did it.
“So I’m very happy, but it’s not as important as winning a title.”
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Bagnaia is flanked by three Yamaha riders after the works duo Quartararo and Maverick Vinales qualified in second and third and Valentino Rossi finished fourth in the Petronas SRT M1.
They all managed to qualify Bagnaia’s team-mate Jack Miller who was believed by many to be the main threat to Pole on Saturday.
However, Miller is confident in his race pace and the Ducati pace off the line and says he is “not too stressed” to only do fifth qualifying.
“I think the expectation was all on you guys,” he said.
“I think P5 is relatively good for me. With the Ducati rocket ship at the start, I’ll be sure to be in the top two by the time we get to T1, and yes, not too stressed out to be honest.
“I’m pretty happy with my performance. Again below the lap record and I just couldn’t put it together on the second tire.
“It is what it is, the race is tomorrow. We’re in a fantastic position and there isn’t really much to say.
“Sure I would have liked more, don’t get me wrong. But I’m not disappointed, I would have been disappointed with a fourth row seat.
“In the second row, below a lap record, I have the feeling that I gave a lot.
“I think I had a little more in the tank, so I’m even more eager to keep the race going.”