MotoGP News: Francesco Bagnaia Confused After British Grand Prix – ‘More Than This Was Impossible’

Francesco Bagnaia faced unexpected challenges during the 2024 British MotoGP at Silverstone, finishing third despite leading for more than half of the race. Initially setting a strong pace, Bagnaia’s performance waned due to tyre management issues, resulting in him being overtaken first by Jorge Martin and then by teammate Enea Bastianini.

In the early stages, Bagnaia seemed in control, but as the race progressed, his difficulties became apparent. As quoted by Crash.net, Bagnaia explained after the race:

“The first thing I want to do this afternoon and these days is to check everything on the data and know everything, because I want to know what I did wrong. 

“I was thinking that I was managing everything well in terms of pace and tyres but when Jorge overtook me I saw that he was in better shape than me and I started to struggle a lot. 

“I lost the front and Enea overtook me. I started to slow down and just finish the race because, today, it was more important than trying to fight for a better position. 

“And they were just faster than me. I tried to do the maximum, and that maximum was third place. 

“It’s not he first time this happened to me. Every time I’m not fully happy with the front tyre, like today we chose the medium, then I finish more the rear tyre because I can’t force the front to turn more. 

“More than this was impossible. Happy with the result but it was a pity that yesterday I crashed.”

Despite the setback, the race was not without its achievements for Ducati and Bagnaia. The podium finish marked Bagnaia’s 43rd, setting a record for the most in Ducati’s history. The Italian rider continued:

“43 podiums is for sure a good number. It’s starting to become quite huge in terms of numbers.

“And when you put the best riders with the best bikes you can have this kind of lockout. 

“We are eight [riders] with a bike that has the possibility to win and there are five or six riders on those eight bikes that are the top of the top. 

“I think it’s quite normal to have these types of results. We always check the data and it gives us motivation to improve. 

“It’s a great result for Ducati but it’s thanks to us that we are improving every time.” 

The next MotoGP race is set to take place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on August 18.