P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Bagnaia can take “deep breath” after solving Ducati MotoGP braking issues
The reigning champion, Francesco Bagnaia, had a strong performance on the opening day of the Motegi weekend, finishing as the second-fastest rider, just 0.029 seconds behind Brad Binder. Both Binder and Bagnaia, along with Aleix Espargaro, broke the lap record set by Jorge Lorenzo eight years ago. Bagnaia, who is currently leading the title race by only 13 points, arrived in Japan after a crash in the previous race, and he and Ducati are working on resolving his braking issues. After Friday practice, Bagnaia expressed his satisfaction with the improvement in his bike’s braking performance, but he still feels there is room for improvement. He mentioned that the bike’s stability and slide control were better, and he compared the current setup to the one used in his previous win in Austria, although there are differences due to tire and grip variations. However, Bagnaia acknowledged that Binder, who is using KTM’s new carbon-fibre chassis, will be a tough competitor to beat at Motegi.
Source: motorsport
