Francesco Bagnaia is fighting for his second MotoGP World Championship title, but this time, he doesn’t find himself in the same position as the season enters its final phase. With seven rounds to go, he is the leader, holding only a 13-point advantage, whereas a year ago at this time, he was chasing the championship lead.
In a press conference, the Italian rider from Ducati acknowledged this different position but dismissed it as added pressure: ‘I’m the prey! Right now there are still seven… 14 races to go. So, I’m not thinking and feeling that I have more pressure on me. Last year it was more intense, going for a title for the first time in 15 years, and things were different. Right now I know very well that when things are okay we fight for the win, or when we’re in a bad moment, we finish second or third. This is something very important for us, and we have to focus on being perfect and doing what we have to do’.
In this context, Bagnaia emphasized that he wants to distance himself from pressure at the moment: ‘I think that we can always be competitive. So I’m not too worried about it right now, I don’t want to feel the pressure right now’.