Thirteenth Bagnaia at the end of Day 1 of the Spanish GP at Jerez de la Frontera. A still-recovering Bastianini finishes twenty-first
• Jorge Martin closes fourth with the Desmosedici GP of Pramac Racing
Francesco Bagnaia closed in thirteenth place on Day 1 of the first day of practices for the Spanish GP, the fourth round of the 2023 MotoGP season held this weekend at the Jerez Circuit in Andalusia.
After closing Practice 1 ninth this morning, when the asphalt temperatures were lower compared to the 49 degrees reached in the afternoon, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider was then able to improve his lap time with the soft tyre in Practice 2. However, still, he was unable to go under the 1:37 (1:37.233) wall, finishing thirteenth.
Pecco will therefore have to take part in Q1 tomorrow, along with teammate Enea Bastianini, who is back on track on the Desmosedici GP after the right shoulder injury that forced him to miss the first three GPs of the season. Still sore, Enea completed 30 laps, ending the day in 21st place overall.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1, Ducati Lenovo Team) – 13th (1:37.233)
“We are still looking for a good bike setup that will allow me to feel better with the front. Today I repeated my performance from last year, but in the meantime, lap times and our rivals have improved. I have confidence in my team and know we can take a step forward tomorrow. Q1 will definitely not be easy as many fast riders will be competing for the top two spots, but I am confident that I can do well.”
Enea Bastianini (#23, Ducati Lenovo Team) – 21st (1:37.985)
“It was a challenging day, but I expected it given my condition. Tomorrow morning the goal is to get on track for Free Practice and see if I can continue with qualifying and then the Sprint in the afternoon. In any case, I had fun and enjoyed being back on my bike. Even though I’m still not 100%, it was a great feeling.”
The Ducati Lenovo Team riders will be back on track tomorrow at 10:10am local time for Free Practice, while qualifying will be held at 10:50am local time. The Sprint race, on the other hand, will begin at 3:00pm over a 12-lap distance.
