Angry, no. Annoyed, yes. It couldn’t be otherwise, because if Pecco Bagnaia starts from the fourth row at the Sachsenring tomorrow, it’s not just his fault. Between slipstream hunters and yellow flags, his qualification had more traffic and unexpected events than a day trip to the sea on a summer Sunday.
“On the second exit I stayed behind a group of drivers because I prefer to drive alone,” he explained. “As soon as I started pushing they slowed down so I found Nakagami in the middle of the track and stopped the lap. I drove off again and at turn seven Martin, Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargarrò were waiting, not on the trajectory but close to the ideal line. At eight I found Oliveira too, so I had to stop again, even though I was wearing a red helmet. Finally, on my last try, Nakagami fell and there was a yellow flag. “
The result was a 10th place on the grid.
“I was unable to do a lap because I found slow drivers in the middle of the track. It was like Moto3. We talk a lot about safety and some MotoGP riders behaved like that today. I do not like that.”
Should they be punished?
“I’m not the one who decides or even makes certain inquiries. Anyone can make mistakes, but the situation is clear from the pictures on TV. “
Fortunately, you were last yesterday, and today you entered Q2 straight away.
“I chose a different strategy this weekend because it’s very important to have good pace here with worn tires, and I’ve never changed it. I improved a lot this morning and started in FP4 with a rear tire that had sixteen laps. I got it in 33, more than the race distance, and I was still running in 1’22’7. In FP3 I was the driver with the third best pace, so I’m happy with the day, but not with qualifying. “
They have to make a comeback, but overtaking is not easy at the Sachsenring.
“I have to use my imagination to overtake tomorrowHe said with a laugh. “I hope I can get off to the best start of my life. It will be important not to waste time with the leaders. Zarco doesn’t have the best pace. If he was in front, he could slow the group down. “
The sprint at the start will be important, but you don’t seem to have been able to take advantage of the Ducati’s qualities lately.
“When I try to start, it’s always good. But when I’m in the middle of the group, I fight. The first corner is always difficult. There are very aggressive drivers, that’s normal, so I have to improve especially for tomorrow because the straight here is short. “