Francesco Bagnaia performed well in today’s Sprint race on a scorching day at the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto, stage this weekend of the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider took an excellent second place thanks to an overtaking manoeuvre on Jack Miller (KTM) on the last lap.
It’s a significant result for Bagnaia and his team, who, after an uphill start, were able to turn around a weekend that until then had been quite complicated. After gaining access to Q2 by setting the fastest time in Q1, Pecco faced a second qualifying session disturbed by rain in some track areas. Despite this, the rider from Chivasso set an excellent fifth fastest time, getting the start from the second row for this afternoon’s Sprint and tomorrow’s Grand Prix race.
Even in the Sprint Race, there was no shortage of twists and turns as the race was immediately interrupted by the red flag following a crash. At the restart, Bagnaia quickly moved up to third position and launched the decisive attack for second place on the final lap. Thanks to today’s result, Bagnaia remains second in the overall standings, -3 points behind fellow Ducati rider Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Racing Team), while Ducati remains at the top of the Constructors’ standings.
Enea Bastianini, after running five laps this morning in free practice, unfortunately, realized that he was not in the condition to race. Therefore, Enea and his team have decided to stop, and the rider from Rimini will try to return to the track at full strength at Le Mans.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1, Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd
“I am thrilled with my race today. During the night, my team really did an incredible job trying to put me in a position to have a good qualifying. In the beginning, I struggled to adapt to the bike, but after the second exit in Q1, I felt really comfortable, and in the race, I just tried to be fast. It wasn’t easy: the third sector is still my weak point, but I’m sure we’ll solve that for tomorrow as well.”
Enea Bastianini (#23, Ducati Lenovo Team)
“I’m very sorry I had to retire. Yesterday I gritted my teeth, but this morning I realized I was not in the condition to ride and face the races with confidence. There was no point in taking unnecessary risks, so together with my team, we decided to stop. However, it was right to try it to understand my current level and how far I need to go to be competitive again.”
- From Ducati Media House
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