Algarve MotoGP: Bagnaia: Portimao win wraps up ‘my best weekend in MotoGP'

Francesco Bagnaia has called his third MotoGP win since Aragon the best of his career after leading from start to finish at Portimao; ‘I’m very happy because I think it’s my best weekend in MotoGP. I enjoyed every single session this weekend’.
Francesco Bagnaia, Algarve MotoGP race, 7 November 2021
Francesco Bagnaia, Algarve MotoGP race, 7 November 2021
© Gold and Goose

Francesco Bagnaia beliඣeves today’s dominant MotoGP victory at Portimao is the best of his premier class career thus far. 

The Ducati ride👍r, who started from pole for the fifth consecutive race, was faultless throughout as he led from lights▨-to-flag. 

In fact, Bagnaia’s only hiccup this weekend came during the start as he was slow a🐼way - led to team-mate Jack Miller coming through, however, Bagnaia regained the lead on the exit of turn one before Joan Mir also got through on Miller. 

Mir did well to keep the pressure on Bagnaia during the first eight ღlaps, but Bagnaia’s pace was eventually too much as he won by a comfortable 2.4s.

The win for Bagnaia, along with Miller claiming third has also resulted in the Bologna-based team winning their se🌌cond consecutive manufacturers’ title. 

Speaking after the race, Bagnaia said: "I’m very happy because I think it’s my best weekend in MotoGP. Also, I enjo🍬yed every single 🎀session this weekend. 

"When you feel so great with your bike everything comes more easily to you. I’m ver𓂃y happy with the work done. 

"Compared to April when⛎ I finished second, I was feeling ඣmore competitive this time around. 

"This race was more difficult at the start because with the front tyre I was struggling a bit more compared to other races, so I was trying to push but every time I was leaning on the left I was feeling t🔯hat the left was closing. 

"But th💮en everything came better and better in the next laps, so I’m very happy for this win."

Heading into the weekend, 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo said he could ride with🐽out any pressure having wrapped up the title. 

And while Bagnaia was asked if that𝓡 was the case for him during the post-race press conference, t🎃he Ducati rider said nothing changed compared to Misano.

"I sincerely think I’♊m the same in Misano. I was doing the same race, I was doing the same pushing like Misano and there I was more unlucky be🌠cause I crashed," added Bagnaia. 

"Maybe today it's because I wasn’t with the hard front [jokes Bagnaia]𝓰; Mir cuts in and says ‘I hoped you used the hard’ [smiles], but sincerely I didn’t change it. 

"In Misano I wa🍃s just trying to open up the championship, but I already knew that it was very difficult to win it."

During today’s race Quartararo crashed with five laps to go, something that would not have happened in Bagnaia’s opinion ha𝔉d the tit𝓀le fight been extended to this weekend.

The former Moto2 champion said: "If I won in Misano then for sure Quartararo wou༺ld not crash today. So it’s okay like this. I was racing without pressure in the championship, so I just♌ did the same thing today."

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