BAGNAIA CREDITS JAPAN LESSON FOR INDONESIAN STEP FORWARD

Pecco Bagnaia’s first direct passage into MotoGP qualifying’s Q2 since Assen offered a welcome lift at the Indonesian Grand Prix, after a difficult run that had seen him miss the top 10 on Friday for six consecutive rounds.

The Ducati rider said a lesson from the Japanese Grand Prix had helped him make progress with braking and corner entry in Indonesia. “Thanks to the race in Japan where we understood something, I felt better on braking and entry,” he said. That improvement let him complete more consecutive laps and build confidence, even though he had not expected to be competitive after struggling at the circuit in the past.

Bagnaia’s recent results had included retirements at Silverstone, Aragon and Misano, followed by seventh and eighth places in Austria and Japan. Against that backdrop, making Q2 was a significant step, though he only just secured a place in the top 10.

Friday was not straightforward. Bagnaia reported repeated front-end losses and had to switch between two Ducati bikes with different set-ups during the afternoon. He declined to explain the cause of the issue, saying it would be addressed before the next day. Despite the complications, he was pleased with the team’s work and felt there was still room to improve.

The Aprilias remained a clear benchmark. Bagnaia said his current pace was not enough to challenge them, pointing to time lost in sectors two and four. Still, he believed small adjustments could make a meaningful difference. Reducing lean angle had already helped him improve in some sectors, and he planned to work on both his riding and the bike’s set-up.

“Having the same bike also,” he added, would help after Friday’s back-and-forth between different configurations. Bagnaia ended the day optimistic: “Tomorrow will be better.”