Bagnaia admits: “I wanted to win the race and win the title.”

Italian Francesco “Pecco” BagnaiaThe 2023 MotoGP World Champion is “incredibly happy” after winning the Gran Premi Comunitato Valenciana, even though he had no part in winning the title after Jorge Martin’s crash. He said he felt that way.

“Today’s conditions didn’t help, but it was my dream. In the last five laps I started feeling cold on the bike and worried about the front tire, but I could finally breathe. It wasn’t easy. “There was a lot of pressure,” admitted the Italian champion.

“This weekend I was focused on the track. I knew yesterday I had made the wrong tire choice, but I also chose mediums to understand what a tire fall is like. “It meant a slowdown in the season.”Then I had a lot of trouble finding speed on the bike,” Bagnaia recalled.

“In the second half of the season I wasn’t able to run fast in the sprints, but that’s something I can improve on in 2024, but I’m very proud of the team, the environment and my girlfriend who always understand me no matter the situation,” said the Italian. The human pilot explained.

“Jorge, who started this year in Catalunya, gained a lot of confidence and was picking up points. It was very difficult to stop him. I think that’s why it was more difficult this year,” he stressed.

The Italian said he feels he is a better rider than he was in 2022, when he won his first MotoGP title. “I’ve become more competitive, I’ve become more aware. I’ve learned to handle pressure better, even though my advantage has been reduced. In that sense, I’ve taken a big step forward. This is a process, so I’ll continue to make mistakes.” “I think we’ll continue to learn from.” We’re aiming for continuous improvement, and we have to continue on this path. ”

The champion recalls his fall in Catalunya as the most complicated moment. “It was very difficult and it was very dangerous to be overtaken by Brad Binder, but the fact that Bastianini pulled away a few drivers at the first corner and there was a race in Misano a week later I was lucky. Those two podiums gave me “They helped me focus on the championship.” ”