Bagnaia speaks on his greatest rival at Misano as Márquez Triumphs in Challenging Conditions

Despite entering the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix at Misano as a strong favorite, Francesco Bagnaia left the circuit without the victory he had hoped for. The Ducati rider led for the majority of the race but ultimately finished in second place, bested by Marc Márquez, who capitalized on tricky conditions to secure the win.

The race took a dramatic turn when light rain began to affect the track, creating challenging conditions that favored Márquez, known for his skill in wet weather. Bagnaia, who had been leading, observed Jorge Martín’s decision

to switch to wet tires and concluded that taking risks was unnecessary. Bagnaia decided to maintain his position, confident that Martín’s decision to pit would not significantly impact the championship standings.

In the post-race press conference, Bagnaia reflected on his strategy and the race’s outcome. “Of course I wanted to win in any case,” Bagnaia said. “As soon as it started raining, I saw Jorge entering the pits and decided not to take any risks, thinking that he would not score any points.

The initial drops of rain didn’t seem substantial, and I tried to stay competitive as the rain intensified. However, Marc was closing in quickly. He’s incredibly brave in these conditions.”

Bagnaia noted that once Márquez overtook him, he struggled to regain the lead. “I tried to overtake him back, but the opportunity was slim. My only chance would have been a risky move, which I didn’t consider viable. I attempted to follow him, but in the final laps, I began losing time.”

The reigning champion acknowledged Márquez’s superior performance, particularly in the rain-soaked conditions. “Marc was faster today,” Bagnaia admitted. “He was braver in the rain, and his pace was remarkable. I was quicker in turn 11, but he was much faster in turns 15 and 16, making it tough to overtake him.”

Bagnaia’s physical condition also played a role in his performance. As he began to lose focus after deciding to settle for second place, he felt increasing pain. “When I started losing focus and saw Enea [Bastianini] was several seconds behind, I began to take more risks, which caused the front to start locking up. I decided to ease off, and the last few laps were quite difficult.”

Despite his disappointment, Bagnaia remains optimistic about future races. “Even if I had been at 100%, it would have been tough to beat Marc today. His pace was exceptional, especially with his 1m31.5s lap on lap 20. The silver lining is that we’ll return to Misano in two weeks, and I’ll be back at full strength, hoping for another chance at victory.”

As the MotoGP season progresses, Bagnaia will undoubtedly use this experience as motivation to improve and challenge Márquez in their next encounter.