We can’t say he didn’t try, but luck doesn’t always favor the brave. Bagnaia knew it would be almost impossible to defeat Quartararo in Assen, but he did not spare himself. In the end he achieved an unsatisfactory 6th place thanks to a long lap penalty.
“I can be happy today. I gave everything. I’ve tried everything“Said Pecco. “But we have to move forward. I’m talking about myself and the bike to get a chance to fight for the title. There is a lot to do and I will use this summer break to arrive better prepared in Austria. I’ll also talk to the team a lot to find more, because Yamaha is now one step ahead of us. “
Do you think the M1 is the best bike now?
“There is no such thing as the best bike. Some drive faster on some routes and others on others, but Yamaha has proven to be the most consistent and that’s because Quartararo is at a really high level. To answer the question: Yamaha is not the best bike, but Fabio is the best rider. “
You are now 47 points behind in the overall standings.
“That’s a lot! I always try to do my best, but like I said, both I as a driver and Ducati have to make progress. For a chance to fight for the championship. We have to keep improving to get more out of the tracks where we are struggling, like here at Assen. “
Today you made the most of Ducati’s horsepower to stop Quartararo.
“It’s clear that more horsepower doesn’t mean going faster on your lap. I was able to overtake Fabio on the straight because I got out of the last chicane very well and he really badly. However, at turn twelve I lost five or six tenths, and not only was Nakagami faster compared to Quartararo. Today was a very, very difficult race.”
How do you think you could have finished without a penalty?
“Third or fourth at most. I should have played defense anyway. The Yamahas were too fast for us. To try to be with Fabio I’ve done everything and it’s easy to make a mistake when doing it. In the last half of the route I had to hold on to the Desmosedici because it wasn’t standing. I went onto the green twice because the wind was moving me, but I could have guessed that. I made a mistake and apologized to the team. The hard part was not repeating the mistake in the fight against Marquez. It wasn’t easy to stand in front of him.”