The race in Portimao was an important test for Pecco Bagnaia and he passed it with flying colors. The Ducati rider knew he had the pace to win, but the yellow flag he picked up in qualifying yesterday put him on the grid in the ‘Bronx’ zone. At this point, he had to prove not only that he was quick but also that he was mature. His second place proves it was like that.
“That was the best possible result today – explained the Italian – Maybe I couldn’t have beaten Quartararo from pole position, but at least I would have had a chance; instead, I started so far back that I didn’t have any “.
However, he managed to get a very fast race off the ground …
“Nobody would have thought we could go at this pace – he continued – there was a lot of grip and the tires worked well. I’m happy with this podium because I was in a difficult situation and it didn’t help to lose the lead in the first corner. “
But even in the end he couldn’t rest, I followed him like a shadow …
“He was so close I thought he was in the back seat – Bagnaia joked – but I knew it would be difficult for him to overtake me, especially on the last corner because the Ducati has better acceleration. I also did a perfect last run. ” Round “.
After two podiums in three races, Pecco is second in the championship.
“But it is too early to think about the classification – he explained – This year my goal was to be consistent and improve on the tracks that I had problems on last season and Portimao was one of them. I can say that I’ve made a big step forward and I’m happy about my second place. My first win? Now we’re going to Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, Barcelona, these are all tracks that I like and maybe it will come. But now I just want to think about working the way I did this weekend. “
However, the race wasn’t exactly a walk in the park …
“The first 3 or 4 laps were difficult – he commented – I was fast, but braking with a full tank is not easy, I even risked colliding with Binder on the first corner. But my pace was good, I overtook a lot of drivers and stayed behind Zarco. Unfortunately, I had problems with the rear tire for the last 2 laps, but it’s normal to push so hard from the start. “
After all, not even Bagnaia, like Quartararo, was surprised by Marquez’s performance.
“I knew he wouldn’t have come back if he wasn’t in good shape – Pecco said – I expected that he would fight for the top 10 like him. “