MotoGP, Gabarrini: "Bagnaia's fast lap? I still can't explain it"

After his zero in the Sprint Race Bagnaia bounced back in the Jerez GP by taking home a victory snatched tooth and nail at the end of a closely-fought duel with Marquez.

The satisfaction of his crew chief in Ducati, Cristian Gabarrini, was obvious. "Is it difficult to find adjectives to describe Pecco's performance? Yes, it is. It left me speechless, and not because there is a lack of esteem in him, but because I need to look at the data. I want to understand where that low 1'37 came out of at the end - he commented amazed by his rider's performance - I usually always get an idea of what's going on, but today I'm really struggling. However, I am very happy as he is constantly evolving and even today he showed that he understands and learns. He can improve himself all the time. This is very positive, as with an opponent like that, it gets tough for everyone."

Three were the key moments of his race: the overtaking on the outside on the first lap, the response to Marc and the fast lap. Which was the most impressive?

"As a technician the chronometric feedback, as a fan what he did at the start. I can't wait to analyze the telemetry to understand what he came up with this time. So I can't explain it."

The start of the season was a bit complicated. Is that all behind us?

"I'll rephrase the question. After the Sepang and Qatar tests did we expect so many difficulties? No, so it's hard to make predictions. I hope so anyway. Racing like that rejuvenates you and makes you understand so many things about the bike since you do a lot of laps on the limit. I think it may have helped to identify what works and what doesn't, beyond the moral aspect. To say, however, that everything will go smoothly from here on is premature. As you could see everything changes in an instant. But certainly a Grand Prix like this, which started off not perfectly, is positive."

Jokingly, when asked if one loses years of life following a race like this from the pit box, the engineer replied, "I think I'm over a hundred years old now. No, actually I always take it calmly. I'm resigned to the fact that this is what racing is like. If you are not calm you end up badly."