Francesco Bagnaia could hardly have asked for better on the last day of MotoGP testing in Sepang. The Ducati rider not only found an ideal base for the bike, but also set the fastest time – an impressive 1m56.682s.
The two-time world champion confirmed that he finished the test with good sensations: ‘Comparing to a year ago, yes, I felt great with the bike. The only thing that wasn’t 100 percent pleasant in the long run was a problem with the bike that was slowing me down a bit. But I had already started, so I decided not to come in to recompose my head. It was better to continue. We have shown and we know perfectly well the potential of this bike. We were able to improve the situation a lot in just three days. I think we are in a good point, 80 percent in terms of consistency, so we are going to Qatar in good shape‘.
Asked if the bike he finished with on Thursday will already be the final version for the Qatar GP, Bagnaia replied: ‘I think it will be more or less like this. From now on, we will try different maps in terms of power delivery‘.
And what is the greatest virtue of the Ducati Desmosedici GP24 for the Italian? ‘The braking because it has improved a lot. Last year I had difficulties with braking – it was good on the straights, but on entry [to the corner] I always needed a lot of work during the competition weekend. And with this bike, it seems more similar to 2022, which was helping me a little more on entry during braking‘, he said.
