P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Bagnaia "not considering" Qatar GP as MotoGP title match point
This weekend’s Qatar GP is the second to last race of the 2023 season and gives Bagnaia a chance to secure his second MotoGP championship. Bagnaia currently holds a 14-point lead over Martin and needs to outscore him by at least 23 points to win the title. This scenario has only happened once this season, at the Portuguese GP. Bagnaia believes gaining 23 points in one weekend is a difficult task.
Bagnaia sees Martin as a strong competitor and believes it’s important to focus on each session and work towards being competitive. The new track surface could pose challenges for the tires, but Bagnaia feels confident as the lap record is still his and believes his bike suits this circuit well.
While beating Martin is the main goal, Bagnaia acknowledges that every weekend can bring significant point gains or losses. The recent tire pressure rule warnings have added to the uncertainty of the championship fight, but Bagnaia is not too concerned as he has experience racing with higher front tire pressures.
Bagnaia is not happy with the rule and believes it doesn’t contribute to anything positive. He doesn’t think anyone in his team will take risks by racing close to the limit, as a three-second penalty can greatly affect the final results.
