Distraught, Bagnaia had “the right strategy” at Le Mans

Starting on rain tires, Pecco Bagnaia did not go much further than the first corner of the French Grand Prix MotoGP before ending up on the ground. This was due to optimistic braking by Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM), who also knocked out Joan Mir's Honda, and almost ended the race for Johann Zarco (LCR Honda). While history ultimately proved his strategy right, the Turin-born driver was unable to do anything in the Dunlop Chicane funnel, which has already seen its share of incidents in the past.

"I had the rain tires, I had a good start and then I started to spin. At the first corner I had to reduce the throttle and everyone passed me. I didn't want to take too many risks and I felt that someone touched me. It's not the first time on this circuit that we encounter this situation, and when everyone has different types of tires, it's even more likely."

The winning strategy

While his crash in the Sprint had already dented his morale this weekend at Le Mans, Francesco Bagnaia appeared even more disappointed after the Grand Prix. The #63 knew that in these difficult conditions, he had the right strategy, as demonstrated by Johann Zarco, who ultimately won the Grand Prix without having to change bikes, unlike many of his rivals.

“The shame is that I had chosen the right strategy. I looked at the weather forecast up to a quarter of an hour before the start, and the forecast indicated that once the rain started, it would continue. I was sure I would start on wet tires and continue. Then I crashed, and I couldn't continue the race as I would have liked. When I see the gaps, even with a crash I should have finished in the top five. I had to stop because the gear lever was a bit stuck and I had trouble changing gears. I stopped, I had to wait 5 seconds to start the other bike… Everything went wrong today, and all weekend honestly.”

Bagnaia wants to regain his sensations

As has been the case since the beginning of the year, the two-time world champion's main problem was the front tire. And while the rain could have helped, the morning warm-up on a damp track confirmed his fears. The problems worsened, and without confidence, it's difficult to ride efficiently and quickly.

“We've been struggling since the beginning of the season, I have a very bad feeling. The bike isn't giving me any feedback, and in the wet it's even worse. You really have to feel the limit in the wet and right now I can't. Whether I set the fastest lap or I'm four seconds off, the feeling is the same. It's very difficult like that. Today we tried something but we couldn't understand if it was better. The change was minor, so I hope that at Silverstone it will be enough to give me back my feeling.”

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