Francesco Bagnaia finished second in the MotoGP Thai Grand Prix, in a race where he had to make a comeback after a less-than-ideal start. The Ducati rider also benefited from Brad Binder’s (Red Bull KTM) penalty, but while chasing his rivals, he didn’t consistently regain time.
Ramón Forcada explained to 3cat that the championship leader was carefully managing the front tyre due to the issue of pressures, which increase when riding too close behind another bike:
– When the front pressure increases too much, you can’t stop the bike. This is a circuit where braking is very important, and it should be a tougher circuit on the brakes. It’s clear that this is the way to manage it. If you’re less than 0.4ss behind, you’re already getting the dirty air from the bike in front, and the pressure goes up. If you’re between 0.7s and 0.8s, you can control it. If you notice, he got close to the front, then backed off, and then got close again. It’s the typical way of controlling pressures.