JABAR EKSPRES – Ducati Lenovo rider Francesco Bagnaia revealed calmness and focus to be the key to his dominance at the Italian MotoGP 2023, last weekend.
“I tried to be calm and not nervous, especially when (Jorge) Martin tried to overtake me. I tried to push harder to open a gap,” Bagnaia said, quoted from the official Ducati Corse statement on Monday.
Bagnaia admitted that he was still trying to fight the pain in his ankle which was broken in an accident at the French MotoGP. However, he tried to ignore it and keep going, until he finally won the home race.
READ ALSO : Marquez Admits He Was Disappointed Not to Finish in The Italian MotoGP 2023
“My team did an amazing job, the trainer, and physiotherapy also helped a lot in this situation, where I had a fracture. So I am very grateful to them,” he said.
The racer who is familiarly called Pecco said that his victory in Italy this time felt even more special because of the presence of fans who continued to encourage him in the midst of challenging physical conditions and hot weather.
“This feels better than last year’s win, because there is nothing better than winning a Italian MotoGP 2023 on my home turf. It’s been a great weekend – pole, sprint race win and main race win, so I’m very happy,” he said.
“I want to thank all the fans here today, the crowd was very impressive,” he added.
READ ALSO : Alex Marquez: Small Mistake led to Italian MotoGP 2023 Podium Miss
On the other hand, his teammate Enea Bastianini, who is also trying to recover from his injury, managed to finish ninth in the Italian MotoGP 2023. Bastianini admitted that the race he did was quite difficult.
“It was a very difficult race. 23 laps felt very long to me because after so long without riding the bike it was difficult. I finished a solid P9,” said Bastianini.
