Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia took a MotoGP double at the Red Bull Ring last weekend, winning the Sprint and Austrian Grand Prix at a canter, but he hailed the pace displayed by both him and title rival Jorge Martin to be “incredible.”
Bagnaia and Pramac’s Martin were a cut above the rest of the competition in Spielberg, with the Ducati GP24 proving to be the best package at the Red Bull Ring.
Still, Martin was no match for Bagnaia on Sunday, with the Italian taking the lead at the start of Lap 2 and holding it until the chequered flag.
Bagnaia pumped in a series of consistently quick laps, with Martin keeping him honest for the majority of the contest until ‘Pecco’ eeked out a gap with an extra pocket of pace for the final few tours of the Red Bull Ring circuit.
“It was incredible, the pace – I think me and Jorge did something unbelievable in terms of speed and consistency,” Bagnaia said post-race.
“I was just trying to do a little better to open the gap because I know in the last laps anything could happen.
“[I’m] very happy – three times in a row we have won here, so it’s fantastic.
“I want to say thanks to my team, to the academy and the work we are doing every day. It’s a special day for us.”
Bagnaia’s victory moves him five points clear of Martin in the Riders’ Championship and his Sunday display was nothing short of extraordinary.
Not once during the 28-lap contest did Bagnaia look like he could be beaten and it served as a potent reminder as to why he rides with the No.1 on his Bologna Bullet.
“I knew I had a good pace, while trying to manage a pace that was slightly faster than Martín’s,” Bagnaia said.
“When I saw that he slowed down a little, I tried to keep the same rhythm for another four-five laps in order to bring my lead to at least 1.5seconds.
“From then on it was a lot easier as in the final laps: the grip level had dropped a lot and the rear was spinning picking up the bike on corner exit and it was overall hard to manage the situation, as you never know what can happen.”
Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi Dall’Igna praised Bagnaia for putting together the “template” for the “perfect” race.
“If a manual of instruction for the perfect race existed, the one put together by Pecco today would be rightfully in it,” Dall’Igna explained.
“To be able to manage such a strong pace against a formidable opponent, while pulling away lap after lap and managing tyre consumption at the same time, is something very few riders are capable of.
“This happens only when the technical package, the team and the rider work perfectly together and they’re at their best in each situation, especially with a MotoGP field as competitive as this year’s.”
