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Pecco Bagnaia is unable to choose the favourite image of what he himself defines as "the perfect weekend". At Mugello he took pole position (with a record), won the sprint race and the Sunday race, stopped trackside to enjoy a hot dog with his fan club's mascot and finally turned into a deejay on the podium . “There were many, certainly the barbecue organized by the fan club and the national anthem sung by the fans after the sprint race. Today, on the podium, seeing the straight full of people was wonderful” he said, with the eyes of one who is almost incredulous at what he has done.
He tied the Italian flag around his neck, like a cape, and he couldn't be happier. The last few weeks, however, hadn't been easy. The Le Mans crash, the ankle fracture and the sprained wrist, also the controversy surrounding some of his declarations: he gave the best answer on the track.
“I didn't think about it, I didn't need to restart after Le Mans. If our potential is what we know it to be, there's no need for it. Crashing happens, being thrown on the ground too, you shouldn't feel sorry for yourself but carry on” he explained.
Now how do you feel?
“Simply happy - he smiles - It couldn't be otherwise, it was my best weekend. I want to thank the fans, Mugello was full of people, as in the past, they made me enjoy the whole weekend and also the work done to get these results. I'm glad it ended like this."
In addition to the cup, you also got a hot dog as a prize…
“I didn't know anything about that gag, the guys in the fan club always manage to make me laugh. I can't not be happy after what I saw today, we are people as well as riders."
What do you mean?
“The same thing has always been happening for a few years and not only to me, when you win everyone is happy, but if you finish behind then they start talking bad about you. I used to pay more attention to certain things, now less, but when you read or hear something bad about yourself you feel bad. Social networks are a good thing but they can become a bad thing, the reality is different. It's what I saw today, feeling the affection of the people".
How important is it?
“The best way to thank everyone who came to Mugello was to make them have fun and get a good result. When I was on the podium it was incredible to see all those fans on the straight, it was one of the best moments of my career. I felt so happy because this was my home Grand Prix, I felt I had a mission and I completed it."
Do you feel the centre of attention?
“Absolutely nothing has changed for me, I'm happy to have seen what I saw today. My fan club was fantastic, I wish them all the best, they gave me a nice surprise and honestly I was hungry too. So when I saw the hot dog I was very happy (laughs).”
What was the key to this victory?
"Together with that of Misano in 2021, when I was a second faster than the second rider, I did one of my best first laps. Miller had got in front of me at the start and I knew I had to pass him quickly, because I had the medium tyre at the rear and I couldn't let anyone with the soft get in front".
Was that the strategy you used with Martin?
“Yes, he was pushing a lot and I didn't want him to get close and give him the chance to pass me. In the first laps, with the soft tyre, he could have opened a gap and then it would have been difficult to recover it. I had to sacrifice the tyre a bit to do it, in fact, in the end it was destroyed, but it was the right strategy."
This is your 14th win on the Ducati, equalled by Dovizioso on the Rossa. What effect does it have on you?
“For sure Andrea had to sweat more than me to do it, because he had to create what Ducati is now. He had a lot to do, if I arrived at these results today it is also thanks to what he did”.
How can you be so fast at Mugello?
“This is one of my favourite tracks, I know it very well and it suits my riding style well. You must be strong under braking, an area in which I've worked a lot, and when cornering, then the Ducati helps me".
In 2003 the pole position in MotoGP was in 1m51s, yesterday you were 7 seconds faster. Are you surprised?
"I lapped here in 1m51s with the Panigale in training, which means it's a good bike (laughs). Some improvements are normal, the manufacturers work and technology goes on. Think about what mobile phones were like twenty years ago, now the only thing they don’t do is make coffee!”.
The next round is Sachsenring, last year it was the lowest point of your season…
"Let’s hope I don’t have that situation again (laughs)”.
