MotoGP Misano: ‘Incredible race, too early to think of the championship’ - Bagnaia

Pecco Bagnaia’s reign from the top step continued in the San Marino GP with his fourth consecutive win for Ducati.

Just 30 points separate the Lenovo rider from championship lead Fabio Quartararo as Bagnaia improved to second in the 2022 standings. Six victories so far this season and four in a row, gave the Italian a three point advantage over Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro as the title fight intensified, much like the final action in Sunday’s 27-lap battle.

“Was not the easiest one because at the start of the race, I was feeling that the grip wasn’t so high so I was struggling a bit to be competitive,” Bagnaia said of the afternoon action. “I was feeling that Maverick [Viñales] behind me was pushing a lot and have more traction. But then I was feeling lap by lap all the things becoming better and better.

“In the last five/six laps the pace has been incredible. I think I never did in my life, in my career, my fastest lap in the last lap! Also after 27 laps with this heat, is something incredible and demonstrate that we are doing an incredible job.

“For all the race, I feel that someone was like ‘here’,” he said of the constant company on his rear wheel. “I was not thinking about anything, I was just trying to be smart, to be very constant with the pace and I didn’t try also to close the line. Because I was feeling that closing the lines was a possibility more for the rider behind me to overtake me. So I just tried to be competitive, just to do my best line possible to be fast and this maybe have helped me to be more constantly fast all the race.”

While many expected the tyres to remain strong for the entirety of the race, the closing pace, while battling, was somewhat unexpected. Both Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini swapped