Reigning MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia admitted he was missing a step at Le Mans this past weekend, saying Gresini Ducati’s Marc Marquez “got the better of me” in the fight for second.
Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin was able to extend his championship lead in France after coming out on top in a three-way duel for the French Grand Prix win with Bagnaia and Marquez.
Marquez, who qualified 13th, was able to pass Bagnaia for second on the final lap with an incredible late lunge into Turn 9, remarkably getting his GP23 bike stopped and turned into the corner.
That brings Marquez to just two points within Bagnaia’s tally of 91, with Martin enjoying a 38-point advantage at the top of the standings.
“You can never be fully satisfied if you don’t win, but it was a good race,” said Bagnaia.
“I managed to recover the feeling from yesterday, but I didn’t feel as competitive as the other two, as they clearly had something extra today.
“We surely have to keep working, but generally speaking the weekend went well – sprint race aside – as we have always been competitive and fast. It was important to finish the race here at Le Mans after the results of the last two seasons here, so I’m happy about this.
“In the final stages, I tried to stay as close as I could to Martin in order to try and pass him at turn 13, but Marc was really strong in the third sector, and he used his speed to his advantage in order to have the better of me.”
Bagnaia, despite being second in the championship at the present moment, has had a rocky start to the season.
His DNF in Saturday’s Sprint follows crashes in the Jerez Sprint and the Portuguese GP, showing that the two-time champion is vulnerable.
Martin’s pace so far this season meanwhile, has been impressive and as such he enjoys an early championship lead.
After a handful of DNFs of his own, Marquez, on out-dated machinery has forced his way into contention.
His double runner-up finish at Le Mans from 13th on the grid in both races means Bagnaia has to worry as much about the Gresini rider overtaking him in the standings, as he does chasing Martin at the top.
