After being the fastest on day one of testing in Qatar, Francesco Bagnaia seems well positioned for the official start of the championship and gave his current state a high rating, an eight (out of ten). However, he sees some aspects in which his bike needs to improve, despite noting some evolutions.
Regarding the power delivery at the first touch of the throttle, widely praised by the Ducati Desmosedici GP24 riders, Bagnaia began by saying: ‘For me, I must say that for now it seems to be an improvement but I believe that the main part of this great improvement comes from the asphalt, and it is difficult, but it is an improvement and it helped a little.’
He recalled past bikes in the tests and explained where his current version should take a step forward:
– As for whether it is the best new Ducati I have… I don’t know. Compared to last year’s tests, yes, and the 2022 bike in the first tests was a complete disaster. Last year, the first two and a half days were also a bit disastrous, but I think it is good and it helps a lot in braking. Last year, I had a lot of difficulties in that aspect in the second part of the season, so I think we took a good step forward in braking, cornering speed, but I think in terms of grip we have less compared to the previous bike, and that is an aspect we are working on and I think we took a small step forward in that, in terms of settings, and I think it is something we can improve.
From one to ten, how confident are you for the start of the season, Bagnaia replied: ‘Eight, at the moment. There is still one more day of testing and Friday in Qatar, here. In Malaysia, I think it was a seven and I didn’t expect this so soon, without forcing so much to reach this level and that is fantastic but I want to take things calmly and see what happens when we finish working and decide everything’.
