Francesco Bagnaia himself marvels at his strong start from the second row in the Italian Grand Prix and says it was not a question of risk for him
On Italy’s Independence Day, for once not in red but in the national color blue, Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini took first and second place in the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello: For Ducati, the MotoGP race Sunday in Tuscany could not have gone better.
For “Pecco” Bagnaia, Sunday’s triumph was the conclusion of a perfect weekend, which he had started on Saturday with victory in the sprint. The two-time and reigning MotoGP World Champion won Sunday’s Grand Prix in front of his mentor Valentino Rossi, who paid one of his now rare on-site visits to the MotoGP circus.
And because MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin only finished third instead of second due to his “rookie mistake” in the last corner, Bagnaia reduced his points deficit in the 2024 MotoGP overall standings even further than it had seemed until half a lap before the end.
Bagnaia laid the foundations for victory with a perfect start. After a grid penalty imposed on him on Friday, he did not start second from the middle of the front row, but fifth from the middle of the second row
From P5 to P1: Bagnaia’s perfect first one and a half corners
The start itself was perfect for Bagnaia. In the first corner he was third behind Martin and Bastianini. On the short way to the second corner, he caught them both in one go and led the race from then on to the finish.
“That was great, wasn’t it?” marveled Bagnaia himself after his triumph on home soil and admitted: “The start makes it even more special. To start fifth is actually not bad. But to overtake four riders in one and a half corners was something I hadn’t expected. Normally a strategy like that never works, but this time it did. I’m very happy.”
The start phase from the lights going out to the second corner “made up 60 percent of my race,” said Bagnaia, explaining: “For me, it wasn’t a question of risk, but more a question of being in the right position at the right moment. “
Jorge Martin followed Bagnaia for a long time after his fabulous start phase, but never got close enough to mount a serious attack. And in the last corner of the last lap, Martin even gave away second place to Bagnaia’s team-mate Bastianini.
For Bagnaia, it is now the third Mugello victory in a row, but the first to be achieved in blue on the Italian national holiday. “This means a lot to me. I’m really very happy,” said the acclaimed home winner.
