Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati claims he wrecked out of the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix’s final lap while attempting to pass points leader Fabio Quartararo because he was “too ambitious.”
The Italian had a challenging race since his attempts to move up the order while racing in the group and beginning from position 12 were hampered by front tyre pressure issues.
Bagnaia climbed up to tenth after being able to rally in the closing moments and was pursuing Yamaha’s Quartararo on the final lap when he attempted his failed overtaking effort while braking for Turn 3.
With only four races left in the 2022 season, it was Bagnaia’s fifth DNF, dropping him 18 points behind Quartararo.
When asked if putting so much effort to earn one point was his actual failure, Bagnaia responded, “One point can make the difference, so I was trying to do it.
“I was too ambitious, because finishing behind Fabio, or waiting to have a better opportunity to make a safer move was for sure better, thinking after the race.
“But in that moment, when I’m racing I’m always thinking about big things and my ambition was to overtake Fabio, and then try to be close to Maverick [Vinales] if he did a mistake.
“So, I was ambitious, it’s the only thing I can do to try to win the championship. So, the mistake was the crash for sure.”
While acknowledging that he was fortunate to miss Quartararo, Bagnaia made it clear that he was the focus of the sarcastic slow clap he gave as he left the scene of the accident.
Bagnaia had a run of five straight podium finishes, including four wins, before Japan, but he doesn’t think he needs to change his strategy to compete for the 2022 championship at the Thailand Grand Prix the following weekend.
“For sure this weekend was quite strange for all what happened,” Bagnaia said. “This morning I was competitive, so what happened during the race was a bit strange.
“But we know starting from behind is difficult for your pace.
“So, next race I will try to do my work as always, try to be competitive. I will not be more aggressive, I don’t need to be more aggressive.
“I just need to do what I did in Aragon or Misano, keep my pace, hammer down and try to gain points.”
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Aprilia, Ducati, Fabio Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia, MOTO, Moto racing, Motocross, MotoGP, DNF
