The Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday undoubtedly saw Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia lose his last chances to catch Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo in the championship.
Outpaced by the French, Bagnaia is satisfied with his third place and thanks Jack Miller for helping his championship bid by letting him past in MotoGP at the Circuit of the Americas.
“I have to thank Miller for letting me pass, he did a great teamwork. He did something that few people would do.” Bagnaia said.
Bagnaia was overtaken by Quartararo from the first corner, before losing contact with him after a few hundred meters.
“I felt that the rear tire was not ready, maybe not perfectly hot, so I waited. I saw that Marquez and Quartararo were very fast, while other riders were pushing too much. I waited for them to wear out, and then I started pushing.” Bagnaia said.
With just three races left this season, and with 25 points on offer to the winner of each one, Quartararo is within touching distance of a first MotoGP world title.
“I’m not going to surrender, but Fabio has done a great job this year. He was the fastest and most consistent in the first half of the season.” Bagnaia said.
“I know where I lost the points I miss, for my mistakes and my problems, it was not today. I’m here to try to close the gap, although I know it’s almost impossible.
“From this point of view, I think I am quieter than Fabio; he must be thinking about the championship, while I just want to be more competitive.” Bagnaia added.
The second MotoGP Misano round will take place on October 22-24 at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
