Francesco Bagnaia praised for dominant Italian Grand Prix win by Michael Laverty - ‘Knew he needed to lead from lap 2'
By James Hilsum
Published 02/06/2024 at 18:03 GMT+1
Francesco Bagnaia produced a stellar performance to seal victory at the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, in a podium completed by Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). Bagnaia showed his unmistaken quality to take an early lead, and Michael Laverty gave an expert insight into how the reigning world champion pulled off a superb at lights out to seize the advantage.
'He had a plan and raced it to perfection' - Bagnaia hailed by Laverty for masterful tactics
Video credit: TNT Sports
Michael Laverty waxed lyrical about Francesco Bagnaia’s performance at the Italian Grand Prix after the Ducati rider cruised to victory on his home track in Mugello.
Bagnaia never looked back after snatching the lead away from championship rival Jorge Martin at lights out, and Laverty was in awe at that superb first-corner manoeuvre.
“He stamped his authority on that one, right from the get-go and into Turn 1,” Laverty told TNT Sports.
“He meant business today. He had the strategy to go down the outside, but knew he needed to lead from lap one so he could stretch it out.
“Maybe it was a tyre pressure gamble, but he made it happen. It was so precise because he starts well, gets a good jump, but it's that commitment down the outside which does it.
“Pecco [Bagnaia] goes to the left and when everyone else hits the brakes, he just waits a moment, goes a little bit deep down the outside and then from there, it opens up for him.
“He just taps on the throttle, creeps around the outside, he's alongside second position, doesn't hesitate for a second and then goes straight on the inside.
“That was the commitment that won him the race right there, he had a plan and executed it to perfection.”
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Watch highlights as Bagnaia claims home MotoGP win at Mugello, Bastianini takes second
Video credit: TNT Sports
The man himself also recounted that stunning start to the race and revealed that his plan was to seize an early advantage.
“I was aiming to start well, and the strategy was perfect to be outside in the first corner,” Bagnaia told TNT Sports.
“It was almost ruined by Maverick [Vinales], but luckily, he was a bit wider, so I had an opportunity to cross his line. Then I broke very hard at corner two to overtake Jorge [Martin], but the start was fantastic.
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“I was trying to control the race in the best way possible, because every time I was pushing for two laps in a row, the front tyre was starting to push too much.
“So, I was doing one lap strongly followed by a one-lap cool down. This enabled me to come into the last part of the race with a bit of a margin.”
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