Bitter Barcelona: Bagnaia to chase Q2 amid updates and grip still critical

Pecco Bagnaia misses direct access to Q2 in Catalunya. A Friday of testing, but there are still a couple of issues to sort out.

Tomorrow it will be time for the first MotoGP qualifying session to aim for the second and then go for pole. Pecco Bagnaia ends the Practice with 12th place, just over three tenths from the leader—not an enormous gap, but enough to keep him out of today’s top 10. There were plenty of tests, such as the updated swingarm shown in the cover photo, but not everything worked as Ducati had hoped: there’s a chronic grip issue still unresolved, even if the rider from Piedmont speaks of a “small step forward” to build on for the next two days of the Catalunya GP.

“We know the lack of grip very well,” Bagnaia told Sky Sport at the end of the day. “I struggled a lot to make use of it—or rather, to understand where to find it. We also made some changes; some worked, others didn’t go in the direction we’d hoped. And with used tires I can almost be faster, more consistent than with new tires! That’s quite an important data point that can help us understand what to do with the setup.”

“In the last run on track I felt a bit better; I managed to be quicker. I dropped the time a little, but it wasn’t enough. We’re all very close; you couldn’t expect to get into Q2 after a session like that,” Bagnaia added. “Overall though, we made a small step forward; we just need to be faster on the new tire.” What’s the biggest issue? “I’m really lacking rear grip. At Le Mans I felt it less, but it’s kind of a constant this year. We’re working on it.”

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