Bagnaia Reflects on “Strange” Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Bagnaia Reflects on “Strange” Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Francesco Bagnaia faced a challenging Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, describing the day as “strange” after a series of misfortunes led to a disappointing finish.

Starting from pole position, Bagnaia initially took control, leading the opening laps before ultimately dropping to third behind Jorge Martin and race winner Enea Bastianini. Despite showing promise in the second half of the race, a front lock-up resulted in a crash that left him without points.

The day took a bittersweet turn as Bastianini secured a dramatic victory on the final lap, overtaking Martin, which slightly alleviated the sting for Bagnaia.

However, the reigning champion’s failure to finish compounded his woes, as he entered the race just four points behind Martin but left Italy with a 24-point deficit.

Bagnaia spoke candidly about the race’s missed opportunities during an interview with TNT Sports. “I was fastest with the medium tyres on Friday and had the best pace after 15 laps in the race. I just needed 15 laps to warm up the rear tyres properly,” he explained, expressing frustration at the turn of events.

He detailed the difficulties he faced, noting, “I was pushing very hard but was careful on the braking. From the start, I experienced a lot of front locking. I was calm and didn’t push too hard, but unfortunately, I locked the front while going straight.” This unexpected handling issue, he mentioned, was unprecedented in his experience, further adding to the day’s strangeness.

Looking ahead, Bagnaia remains determined to rebound from this setback. With six rounds remaining in the season, he acknowledges the challenge of closing the gap to his competitors, particularly as Bastianini has now entered the title fight. “We have to reset and I am quite good at doing that. We will try again in Indonesia,” he stated, looking forward to the next opportunity to capitalize on his speed and reclaim his position in the championship.

As the season progresses, the pressure mounts for Bagnaia to recover and regain his momentum. With new tracks and fresh challenges on the horizon, he is poised to fight for every point as he aims to close the championship gap and defend his title.