Pecco Bagnaia Grateful for Words of encouragement - Miller: "It was nothing Special"
Categories: MotoGP
With rain setting in, Pecco Bagnaia worried abouth the race ahead in Buriram – then teammate Jack Miller gives him encouragement.
Pecco Bagnaia was perfectly prepared for a dry race in Buriram. After a full dry Weekend for MotoGP however, monsoon-like rain hit the track before the start of the MotoGP race.
Francesco Bagnaia – Image provided by Motorsport Images
Just a week ago in Motegi, Bagnaia’s race ended in a last-lap crash after having struggled all race with the difficult semi-wet conditions.
Given the conditions in Buriram, the Italian had not expected this in advance. “I wasn’t too happy about it,” he admits, referring to the onset of rain.
“In the morning we could make another step and I had my best warm-up ever. Everything was ready for a dry race. Then when I saw that the rain was coming, I got a little nervous.”
Bagnaia crashed in the last lap in Motegi – Image provided by Motorsport Images
The memories of last week’s race showed their effects on the young Italian. His Ducati teammate Jack Miller noticed them too. The Aussie encouraged Bagnaia and told him to be more confident about the difficult conditions.
“It was nothing special. He was a bit worried about the rain clouds coming in, I just told him to believe in himself a bit more. That helps,” explains Miller after the race.
The Australian’s short lesson in mentality seems to have helped. Bagnaia improved his rain performance massively in contrast to the race in Motegi.
“I knew my potential in the wet was not the same as in Mandalika or Japan. Normally I’ve always been competitive in the wet – not to finish on the podium, but in the top 5,” highlights Bagnaia after the race.
And the Italian showed his potential in the thai rain. Having finished third in the end, he is now just two points behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo.
