If there is bad luck, it raged on Pecco Bagnaia today. The Ducati rider from Piedmont had a perfect lap in qualifying with a record time and pole position, but he had not come to terms with the yellow flags: those that were enough for Zarco’s fall and then for Mir to cancel his two best times. The result was that tomorrow the fastest driver in Portimão will start on the fourth row in 11th place.
“The problem was the position in which the flag was displayed. I was unable to see” he explained. “At this point you clean up and lean to the left to prepare for the next turn, but the flag is on the right. I spoke to Marini, who was standing in front of me, and he hadn’t seen it either. I know that if there is a rule, it must be respected. “
But?
“You canceled two rounds in ten minutes. It would have been better if I had stayed in the pits today and watched the others race.”
Do you think the rule needs to be changed?
“I’m the first to respect the rules. In fact, I had noticed the flags of Martin’s and Zarco’s waterfalls, and I slowed down, but he was nowhere to be seen in the corner where Oliveira fell. Unfortunately, these are things that you notice again and again in retrospect, because if I had seen them I would have given up to try again. I wouldn’t have made pole, but a time to stay in the first two rows, yes. “
Should they be more flexible in certain cases?
“The details should be considered. Let me explain. In qualifying everyone is pushing their way to the limit and it is easy to fall, but we only have 15 minutes and four laps to set a good time. If you void one, it becomes difficult to qualify well. I went to the race control to watch the videos and it is clear that I could not see the flag and also that Oliveira and his bike were no longer in the departure area, so there was no risk. I do not agree to the application of this rule in qualifying.”
What do you expect from tomorrow’s race?
“I took pole position with an incredible lap and I have very fast pace, so I’ll try to make up as many positions as possible, even if it gets difficult. In FP4, only Quartararo was faster than me, but I had 25 lap tires while his was new. Victory will be complicated, but I think I can go for the top 5.”
You need a start like Martin’s in Qatar …
“I’ll try to copy it,” he said with a laugh. “I hope it’s a group race because it would be easier to recover, but I know there are three or four riders who have better pace than everyone else. I’ll try to make up four or five places at the start, but the strategy will be different from what I would have followed from the front. I’ll have to push hard from the first to the last lap without being able to think about tire management. I just hope I don’t finish them off in the final laps.”