MotoGP Japan: Francesco Bagnaia identifies key issue - ‘up until 3am’ watching videos to fix it

With Francesco Bagnaia’s MotoGP title lead reduced to just 13 points after crashing out in India, solving his braking woes is the top priority for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Francesco Bagnaia, Japanese MotoGP, 28 September
Francesco Bagnaia, Japanese MotoGP, 28 September

Previously able to gain an advantage on t𝓀he brakes, Bagnaia explained after India that he has been struggling in that area for the past two rounds.

“The maximum objective is to fiওnd my feeling on the braking.💞 I’m sure we will do it,” Bagnaia said at Motegi on Thursday.

Aggressive rear wheel slides have been the soꦐurce of Bagnaia’s probl꧒ems.

“M✅y feeling is that I’m braking the same but I’m not stopping the bike,” he said. “So it’s quite difficult because the rear is not helping me o🐻n braking.

“Also when I crashed [in India] it was as soon as the rear came back in line w🔯ith the front.

“Normally I can manage this. But my slides, last week, on the🧜 entrance to the corners were too unstable and it was d𝓡ifficult to control it.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Japanese MotoGP, 28 September
Francesco Bagnaia, Japanese MotoGP, 28 September

While the Ducati engineers have 💛been combing through the data in search of a fix, the reigning world champion revealed he has been studying video footage.

“On Monday night at 3am I was watching videos of the braking points at the last th🏅ree rounds. Viewing it was easy to understand what was wrong. The rear was doing soꦬmething strange,” he said.

“Normally, it is a normal slide which I can control, in the last weekends the rea🍒r slide was over the limit. We understand that. We decided to go a different way this weekend, we will start with two set-ups to understand the way to follow. It is clear, for us, to improve that area.”

IN contrast to a year ago, when he was hu𝔍nting down Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, Bagnaia is now ‘the prey’ with Martin 13 points adrift and Buddh winner Marco Bezzecchi 44 from the top.

“I am the prey,” he smiled. “Right now, 🎀there are 14 races still. I don’t feel in have more pressure. Last year was more intense, a title [Ducati] were missing from 15 years.

“Now I kno♕w perfectly ꦚif everything is okay we can fight for the win, in a bad moment we can [still] finish second or third. We must focus on being perfect, we can be competitive always. I’m not too worried.”

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