Bagnaia’s pole in Aragon is not like any other for the Italian, as the Spanish circuit has never been particularly kind to him in the past – the grid. There is hardly a better way to present yourself for the start of tomorrow’s race.
“I think it was a perfect lap – admittedly Pecco – it was great, already in the first sector compared to my best lap time of 1: 46.9s, already four tenths of a lead. So I did a nice sector one, the second sector was amazing too and our bike in the fourth sector helped us a lot. The entry into the last corner was also amazing because when I look at the data from Jorge Martin this morning, who was driving a different line than me, I tried to do the same and I have improved a lot. I didn’t expect such a round. “
Since 2018, when Lorenzo and Dovizioso were 2-1, there haven’t been two Ducatis in front of everyone in Aragon.
“When I got here, I had a lot of questions about how I could be fast on this track because I’ve been fighting a lot in all the years, apart from 2018 when I was fighting for the Moto2 title. And when I started in FP1, that was a different story. My feeling has improved a lot compared to last year and I haven’t touched the attitude at Silverstone, so my bike is the same. It’s a great day for Ducati: there are 5 in the top 10 ”.
Are you touching wood for tomorrow’s race?
“I just hope to have a normal situation because At Silverstone we had a big problem with the rear tire and that can happen. And I think it’s not my turn this time, so I hope everything becomes clear and stays the same over the weekend. “
Valentino said the time was right to win …
“I don’t know (laughs). Tomorrow I’ll just try to set my pace and be quick. It will be what happens to the tires after 15 or 16 laps and in the last part of the race I feel strong, we’ll see if I’m strong enough to win. The most important thing will be to stay with the best from start to finish. “
Don’t you think you have the best chance of winning this season?
“This weekend is like Mugello because I have a great feeling in Mugello I felt incredible with the motorcycle. But this year I’ve been competitive more often, including in Portimao, but every time I’ve made a mistake or had a big problem. So it’s hard to tell if I’m ready to win or if I can win tomorrow. But all things are there. “
The Ducati also looks particularly good …
“You did a great job, everything is better compared to last year. Here in 2020 I crashed as soon as I tried to push, it was difficult, I was the slowest of the Ducati riders. But now I can do whatever I want with the bike ”.
Do you have any concerns about the tires?
“It seems to me that the soft at the rear is a good combination of grip and consistency, the hard has more drop. In FP4 I started with a tire that had 8 laps and I did another 16 and was consistent. Here you can use full power during the entire race and play with the grip ”.