Test Sepang: a formidable Bagnaia, first with a new track record

Perhaps even Bagnaia himself did not expect this kind of start. That said, it wasn’t exactly out of the question that the two-time world champion might finish the first winter tests of the year in first place with a new track record, particularly considering the potential of a GP24 that had already demonstrated even greater technical potential as well as further room for growth at Valencia. The fastest time with which Bagnaia rounded out the three-day Sepang test symbolises several things, in addition to the factor of most interest inside the garage, or rather an extreme and immediate level of competitiveness.

Firstly, the show of strength over the flying lap with respect to many of his rivals - almost comparable with the renowned explosiveness of Jorge Martin, who finished 0.172 behind – but also inside the factory garage, with Pecco proving to be the driving force also compared to an ever-better Enea Bastianini. A new track record of 1'56.682 serves as an attractive business card that, along with the general feeling shown over race distance, confirms the fact that Bagnaia is in great shape.

 

Confirmation and improvement: the differences compared to last season

During these first days of testing, Bagnaia has highlighted the difference between now and the start of last season, where he felt less sure about his race pace and flying lap performance. What stands out is the ease with which the world champion is able to perform, which inevitably translates into clear confidence with the machine. With the GP24, the braking – one of the Italian rider’s obvious strengths -is even more high-performance, the result of hard work and a unity of purpose that appears more reassuring than ever before.

 

Pecco Bagnaia: "An incredible time, I really like the GP24"

Talking to Sky Sport, Bagnaia was quick to heap praise on the bike, which he appears to prefer over the GP23: "The fastest time set is a result of our hard work. We leave Sepang with a strong base ahead of Qatar. We were able to test all the material we planned to, and in general I really like the GP24. It offers many benefits with respect to the GP23, particularly in terms of braking, an area where we’ve improved a lot.” The current world champion continues: “We set some incredible times, but these are just tests. The track was also in great condition following six days of track action. As for the engine, we still need to define a few things and in Qatar we’ll test some different mappings to try and improve".

The Ducati riders talks about his immediate rivals: "Bastianini was very strong here, Martin is very fast but there are many riders who did well here. To win again, we’ll need to improve both the bike and myself as a rider. We all know Marquez’s potential, I don’t think it will be long before he’s a consistent frontrunner".