Pecco Bagnaia restarts with Valentino Rossi in his sights

The words of Pecco Bagnaia

First press conference of the season, in Portimao, for Pecco Bagnaia: “I am very happy with the tests. A year ago we were in trouble, while this year they went perfectly and we learned from our mistakes. The bike is better for my riding style and since I tried it in Malaysia I felt great right away. Everything has gone well, in the tests we have been able to improve the race pace and right now it is clear that we are in a better position than the others, but I am sure that Yamaha has taken a big step forward, and I think that Marc Marquez as soon as he finishes the work with the new bike will be in front with the Aprilia and with Bastianini’s Ducati: there will be a lot of opponents for the first race.”

“Compared to last year I lacked some grip in the corners, it was a mix of things because the 2022 bike was not going so well and we had to take a step back. It was a very competitive bike, but it lacked in something, while this year I think the engineers worked a lot to solve what was missing,: as soon as I tested the bike in Valencia it felt good right away, and here in Portimao it felt like a huge step forward compared to 2022. I remember that Marquez and Rossi won so many titles, even repeating themselves, which is an important thing. We have to work like them to try to repeat, we have to respect our opponents but at the same time try to keep our focus, because all the riders will want to steal my number 1, but working well I’m sure I can defend the title, although it won’t be easy.”

Comment on Bastianini: “Enea and I are smart enough to understand that if you work well in the pits, positive performances come in the race. It’s different than Miller because I knew myself better with him, but I’ve also known Enea for a long time and our relationship is pretty good even off the track. It is different because he has never worked this way with his teammate in the pits, but I am sure that in the race we will be free to do what we want, but in practice it will be necessary to work well together to be in a better position in the race.”