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September 23, 2023
Bagnaia goes through into tomorrow's Q2 qualifying with seventh-quickest time in free practice for the GP of India.
— UPDATE September 23, 2023 —
Indian GP: Bagnaia settles for the runner-up slot behind Martin in the Sprint. Pirro 14th.
Photo: Francesco Bagnaia at the Buddh International Circuit, Noida, India. September 23, 2023. Image provided by & copyright © Ducati.
New Delhi, September 23, 2023 — Francesco Bagnaia finished second in the Saturday Sprint race at the Buddh International Circuit, behind fellow Ducati rider Jorge Martin. The race occurred on a mostly dry track after a complicated day with torrential rainfall. Bagnaia now leads Martin by 33 points. Michele Pirro finished 14th. Ducati Lenovo Team riders will warm up on Sunday before the Grand Prix of India, which has been reduced to 21 laps from 24 due to heat concerns.
Photo: Michele Pirro was placed 22nd in the practice race at Noida, India. September 22, 2023. Image provided by & copyright © Ducati.
New Delhi, September 22, 2023 — Francesco Bagnaia ended the first day of free practice for the GP of India at the Buddh International Circuit in seventh place, securing a spot in tomorrow’s Q2 qualifying session with a best lap time of 1:45.280 on his Desmosedici GP23. The morning’s 70-minute session allowed the riders to get familiar with the new layout, and Bagnaia continued to search for the best set-up for his bike in the afternoon session, trying his time attack in the last ten minutes. On his second run with new tires, he placed himself half a second behind today’s fastest rider, Luca Marini (VR46 Racing Team).
Team-mate Michele Pirro, standing in for the injured Enea Bastianini, had a difficult first day and could only manage the 22nd. Bagnaia initially struggled with getting the bike to brake but solved the issue with a lot of work. With the used tire in the second practice, he placed himself in P4. While in the time attack, he could lap as fast as the leaders, but unfortunately, he only had one lap available. The track is beautiful but very technical, and the heat is problematic in some areas.
Bagnaia said, “It was a positive day. I’m happy; we’re close to the leaders and can work well tomorrow.” Pirro said, “It was a difficult day for me, and the heat didn’t help. We’ll look at the data this evening and try to work out where we are going wrong to improve for tomorrow.”
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be on track again at the Buddh circuit on Saturday morning for the second free practice session at 10:40 local time.
Source: DUCATI
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Like a boss 😎
— MotoGP™ðŸ (@MotoGP) September 22, 2023
Just @PeccoBagnaia goon riding to wrap up Friday! 😂#IndianGP 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/FOzXP1Y0k8
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:57 PM | Link to this Post
