until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
Ducati MotoGP rider Francesco Bagnaia believes he’s in the same position as Fabio Quartararo was the year prior, and therefore takes heart in Quartararo’s ascent to the 2021 title.
Bagnaia has run Quartararo closest to the crown this season, but a late push to eat into the Frenchman’s comfortable points lead ultimately came to nought when Bagnaia crashed out of the lead in the final laps of the second Misano race, instantly handing the title to the Yamaha man.
It completed the turnaround for Quartararo after his 2020 title collapse, after he’d won the opening two races of the season but eventually lost all semblance of form on a ’20 Yamaha he was never fully confident in.
Asked following Quartararo’s coronation what he thought was key to the Frenchman’s title, Bagnaia told MotoGP.com: “One more year of experience fighting for the championship, because last year he already lost one, so he was more prepared, to be more on top, more prepared to fight.
“It’s like that this year for me is like Quartararo’s of last year, I’m in the same situation. I learned a lot this year, I think we did an amazing improvement.
“For next year we’ll be more prepared.”
Comparing Bagnaia to pre-2021 Quartararo
Starts
Bagnaia – 45
Quartararo – 33
Wins
Bagnaia – 2
Quartararo – 3
Poles
Bagnaia – 5
Quartararo – 10
Podiums
Bagnaia – 8
Quartararo – 10
Front rows
Bagnaia – 11
Quartararo – 22
Laps led
Bagnaia – 129
Quartararo – 131
Points
Bagnaia – 303 (6.7 per race)
Quartararo – 319 (9.7 per race)
Bagnaia and Quartararo had arrived into MotoGP the same year, but while the Frenchman thrived immediately, Bagnaia – the reigning Moto2 champion at that point – had struggled to get to grips with the Desmosedici.
An improvement for 2020, enabled also by an upgrade to works-spec machinery, shored up his Ducati future, but the opportunity to move from the satellite Pramac team to the factory outfit only came about as Ducati failed to reach terms with Andrea Dovizioso.
Now on course to finish second in the standings and with an ongoing streak of four consecutive poles, Bagnaia says he and his team “don’t have to be angry” about missing out on the title because it wasn’t the target coming into the season – given he had finished an injury-disrupted 2020 campaign down in 16th.
“I’m just happy with the work done this year. An amazing improvement, a great step in front in the last four races.
“This year was not my objective the title, and also of the team… because I was coming in the factory team without winning any race, without fighting for anything. I finished 16th last year.
“This year I learned a lot, improved a lot, and I’ve grown a lot. And I think all the races of this year have put a great base for next year.
“I’m quite sure that next year our bike will be incredible, more than this one, that already is incredible. And I will be more prepared to fight for the championship.”
Bagnaia feels that three races were crucial to him missing out on the 2021 title – Mugello, where he crashed from an early lead and subsequently admitted he hadn’t been in the right state of mind to race following the passing of Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier; the first Austria race, where he got “a tyre that was not working”; and the first Silverstone race, in which he likewise felt that the rubber wasn’t up to scratch.
MotoGP tyre supplier Michelin has disputed the vast majority of riders’ claims of faulty tyres during the season though, and in any case, it could easily be argued that Quartararo too had races that should’ve yielded a lot more points than they did.
“It’s not correct to think in this way,” Bagnaia added of his own claim.
“I lost the championship – for next year I will learn from these mistakes and I will try to be always at the top like the last four races.”
