After securing his first ever home victory at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) stretched his Moto2™ Championship lead to eight points over Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as the Portuguese rider finished second, with the Italian believing he’s a step ahead of the competition at this stage of the season:
“For sure, this is one of the most important races of my life,” began Bagnaia, who notched up his sixth win of the season at the San Marino GP. “It has been a great weekend for us because in every session we were working on the race and finally we won in front of these amazing fans, it’s very awesome and I want to thank my team for their incredible work these last three weeks. At the moment we are a step ahead of the others I think, but we have to stay calm for the next races. I’m very happy and I want to say thanks to my team.”
The 21-year-old now has three pole positions and two wins in a row, and it could well have been three wins from the last three races if Silverstone went ahead. But what has changed after a run of one win in five from Mugello to Brno? “In Austria we made a different type of work, a different setting,” explained the eight-time Grand Prix winner. “And at the moment I have two wins and three pole positions just because at Silverstone were we not racing. We have a good level I think.”
MotorLand Aragon and Round 14 now appears over the horizon as the intermediate class Championship battle enters a critical stage of the season, but it’s a track that Bagnaia doesn’t particularly enjoy: “Aragon is not a track that I really like but we make a good test there after the Le Mans race I think, or after Jerez, and I was fast,” said the Italian, who’s more than aware of the threat Oliveira will pose again: “For sure Oliveira will go fast like us but if we continue like this with five points every race, it’s ok, and my objective is arriving in front of him to try to win.”