Phillip Island, an unlucky weekend for Pecco Bagnaia. Rain also halts Sunday’s races. Moto2 race cancelled.
A challenging weekend that got off to a difficult start and ended without the opportunity to contest the main race. This brings the Australian Grand Prix to a close for our Suomy Rider Francesco Bagnaia, who faced a difficult round at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit, where technical issues and weather conditions heavily disrupted the weekend’s schedule.
Overlooking the ocean in the southern part of Australia, Phillip Island is one of the most spectacular and fastest circuits on the MotoGP calendar. Its sweeping corners, rapid changes of direction and constant exposure to the wind make the circuit particularly demanding for both riders and teams, who must find the right balance between stability, grip and performance. From the very first sessions on Friday, it was clear that our rider was facing a challenging situation as he continued searching for the right feeling with his Desmosedici, a feeling that, race after race, still seems frustratingly elusive. The difficulties continued into Saturday’s qualifying sessions, held in particularly tricky conditions, with Bagnaia finishing in sixteenth position, almost two seconds off the front row.
SPRINT RACE
Unfortunately, the Sprint Race did not provide an opportunity to turn things around. After a good start, Pecco gradually lost ground before a technical issue forced him to return to the pits and end his race prematurely. A disappointing outcome for our rider, who had therefore been looking to Sunday as a final opportunity to find answers and signs of improvement.
On Sunday, however, the weather took over. Heavy rain and poor visibility forced the organisers to cancel the MotoGP race, preventing Bagnaia and the other riders from taking to the track for the final challenge of the weekend. A disappointing end for all fans, particularly as this was MotoGP’s final appearance at Phillip Island, with the circuit set to be replaced by a new venue on next season’s calendar.It was also a shame that the Moto2 race could not take place, as our Ivan Ortolá was due to start from fourth on the grid.
“Today was certainly not the best day for us, starting with qualifying, where we did not make the best choice in terms of strategy and rear tyre. I made a reasonably good start in the Sprint, but unfortunately I encountered a small issue that got progressively worse corner after corner, preventing me from continuing. It’s a shame, but we need to focus on tomorrow’s race, which will be a long one. The realistic goal is to finish in the top 10.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Sprint Race DNF
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #SuomyCrew during the weekend in Australia.
