Francesco Bagnaia was the fastest of the MotoGP tests in Sepang. In the first minutes of the last day, he completed a rocket lap in 1m56.682s.
Although pleased with the performance on that lap, the Italian rider from Ducati also downplayed its significance: ‘I was happy obviously, because it’s an incredible lap time done just in my first time attack of the season. It was great, but it’s a test and the conditions were fantastic, so it was the best moment to do the time attack and I’m happy for sure. But I’m a guy who don’t think too much on a good performance during the test. It’s better to see consistency with used tyres’.
Asked if he is back to his best level in terms of fast laps, Bagnaia replied: ‘I think in the last part of the season last year – maybe in the last four races – my feeling was back. The time attack has always been one of my best points. At home is impossible to improve, but honestly at the Ranch maybe you can do the time attack or with the go-kart, but what you feel with the MotoGP is different and it was all natural. I just pushed like a time attack and the [lap] time arrived’.