Francesco Bagnaia revealed more about his new mindset after completing an unexpected MotoGP win in Austin.
The two-time premier class champion cruised to victory after his team-mate Marc Marquez crashed out of the lead at Turn 4 on Lap 9.
Bagnaia claimed his first win at the Circuit of the Americas in his MotoGP career and is now 12 and 11 points behind Alex and Marc Marquez in the standings.
The Torinese rider admitted that the lessons he learned from his 2024 title loss to Jorge Martin saw him hold position in the earlier races.
“I am optimistic but also realistic,” Bagnaia began to GPOne.
“When I said that my feelings [on the bike] were improving it was because the overall situation was perceived to be worse than it actually was, because I had three third places and one fourth, while here today it was good.
“It is clear that I was not at the level at the first two, but it is also clear that the start of this championship was better than the previous ones.
“Definitely a lesson I learned from last year is that taking unnecessary risks is wrong, if I see there is no chance to win I am content with where I am.
“It’s a strategy that’s not very much up my street, I always try to give my best, but in certain situations, it’s better to be realistic, and in this also in my declarations I’ve always been transparent.”
He added: “I know how much more work I have to do, and how much we can improve. We always do, I focused on various aspects both on the track and at home.”
Bagnaia acknowledges GP win is due to Marquez’s crash
Bagnaia maintained a two-second lead over Gresini’s Marquez after making an early move on Lap 4, and after his teammate retired, the Italian went on to secure his 30th MotoGP victory.
“It’s an incredible feeling, I’m really happy, it’s the first time I win here in COTA,” he stated.
“I know this success is also due to Marc’s [Marquez] crash, today he was faster than anyone else.
“I was trying to manage his pace as best as I could, and when I saw him crash I kept pushing to keep Alex [Marquez] at a distance, he was still very close at that moment.
“It wasn’t easy, he was gaining a lot in the first sector and we were close in the second sector. I think I gained something because of the braking at Turn 12, in the third sector I was gaining something.”
The Ducati rider had previously been vocal about his lack of feeling on the bike, but his win in America has since resolved that issue.
He appreciated the hard work and reassurance from his team, which gave him the confidence to extract the maximum performance from the Bologna machine.
“It was also not easy psychologically, because of the way the season started from testing.
“In the first two races, I had trouble finding the right feeling under braking, and I have to say that this weekend helped me a lot to find what I was looking for. I am really happy about that, as I am happy for my team.
“It is to their credit that they were able to keep my nervousness at bay and turn it into technical details. I’m back racing with a smile.”
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