Luigi Dall’Igna, the team manager of Ducati Lenovo, praised Francesco Bagnaia's strategy for clinching victory at the opening round of the 2024 MotoGP season at the Losail International Circuit, Qatar, last weekend, attributing it to his willingness to take significant risks during the main race.
Bagnaia, initially doubted by the public due to his less-than-optimal performance in practice sessions, qualifying, and the Sprint race, proved himself worthy of carrying the number 1 on his bike this year.
"Pecco started the race well, taking some risks in the opening lap, and executed them perfectly," said Dall’Igna, quoted from Ducati's official statement on Tuesday.
"His race management was impeccable, and he did everything necessary to maintain a gap from his rivals, while remaining focused and preserving the condition of his bike's tires. His racing skills were flawless," he added.
Not only did Dall’Igna praise the defending champion, but he also appreciated the performance of another rider, Enea Bastianini, who finished in the top five at the Qatar MotoGP.
"Enea also had a great race, finishing in the top five. I'm sure he will also give us a lot of satisfaction because he worked very well with his crew," he said.
Meanwhile, Bagnaia revealed that the strategy change was made during the warm-up session before the main race.
The Italian rider said he focused heavily on strong braking techniques to reduce the use of the bike's rear parts, which ultimately widened the gap between him and the riders behind.
Bagnaia managed to give himself a margin of over 1 second from his two closest competitors, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac) at the Qatar MotoGP.
"When I saw other riders closing in, I tried to pull away a bit more, and everything went according to plan. Even in this instance, the team did an extraordinary job," said Bagnaia.
Meanwhile, Bastianini admitted he was still not satisfied with his fifth-place finish and was determined to improve his performance in the second round of the 2024 MotoGP season at the Algarve International Circuit, Portugal, on February 21-23.
"Our expectations were higher, but we will strive to perform better in the next race. Once we arrive in Portimao, we will have a clearer picture of how to take a step forward," said the rider nicknamed "The Beast."