Francesco Bagnaia reflects on masterful victory at Italian Grand Prix in Mugello - 'The strategy was perfect'

Francesco Bagnaia reflected on a masterful performance at the Italian Grand Prix after storming to victory in Mugello.

The reigning world champion set his stall out right from the start and took the lead away from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) at Turn 1 with a superb manoeuvre at lights out.

“I was aiming to start well, and the strategy was perfect to be outside in the first corner,” Bagnaia told TNT Sports as he recounted that epic overtake at the start.

“It was almost ruined by Maverick, 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.

“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.”

Bagnaia also spoke about the emotional significance of winning a Grand Prix on home soil and looked in more detail at the riders' standings, with the Italian in second and 18 points adrift of Martin at the top of the table.

“This is incredible and when you look out from the podium to all the people, it's like a sea of all the people cheering for us,” he added.

“For sure, we know how easy it is to lose or gain points.

“In Le Mans I lost all the points, in Barcelona I did a good job but lost too much on the sprint and this weekend I gained a lot.

“This result is very important for the championship, but there’s still a long way to go.”

Meanwhile, it was a frustrating afternoon for championship leader Martin after he finished third and will be eager to bounce back in Assen.

"For sure I'm frustrated about the last lap," he said.

"We made a big step, I was keeping Pecco [Bagnaia] on pace. In the end, I thought I could make a move for victory, I was closing the gap, but then I saw that I was too much on the limit.

"I am frustrated with myself because I didn't close that last line and then Bastianini overtook me. But the podium on a difficult weekend is crucial. Now it's time to rest, and we will be back stronger in Assen."

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