Championship Leader Bagnaia Frustrated by Lost Time in Thailand Sprint
Francesco Bagnaia showcased blistering speed on his Ducati during the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix sprint, but found himself embroiled in a frustrating battle that he deemed “useless.” As a result, he ended the race in seventh place, losing valuable points in the championship standings.
Bagnaia, who was the championship leader going into the race, saw his 27-point lead reduced to 18 after Jorge Martin of Pramac clinched his seventh sprint victory of the year. Meanwhile, Bagnaia struggled to keep pace and finished 4.1 seconds behind Martin in seventh place.
The Italian rider had initially qualified in sixth place but admitted that he “missed the start,” which led to a drop to ninth on the opening lap. Despite regaining ground and reaching seventh place after an incident involving Johann Zarco and Alex Marquez, Bagnaia couldn’t make further progress, even though he closed to within a tenth of Marco Bezzecchi at the finish line.
Bagnaia attributed his difficulties in the race to the time he lost behind Zarco and Marquez, describing their battle as “useless.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
“I missed the start a bit, and then I lost a lot of time with Zarco,” Bagnaia revealed. “And then with the battle with Johann and Alex Marquez, that in that moment was useless considering the amount of time we had lost.”
Bagnaia expressed his contentment with his bike’s performance, his tire management, and his overall feeling on the track. However, finishing seventh when he believed he had the pace to achieve more left him dissatisfied.
“So, we have to consider that, and for tomorrow I have to just improve my pace in the first laps to be out of some battles that lost us too much time,” he concluded.
As the MotoGP season progresses, Bagnaia faces the challenge of regaining his earlier momentum and fending off strong competition from riders like Jorge Martin. The battle for the championship title promises to be intense, with every point being crucial in the quest for victory.
By,
Author :RRS Correspondent
