Bagnaia and Quartararo think about the atmosphere before the champion decider

The person who decides the title of MotoGP 2022

Francesco Bagnaia

Do you feel more relaxed after the high pressure of Sepang?

“No, honestly no. Until we have the capacity, we must keep pushing. Before today, my own career, I will make it for this year, because it is Fabio who is the best person, but continues to work. So maximum focus, I’ll try to focus the whole weekend like always, trying to get as much done as I can.. “

Do last year’s results give you confidence that you and the bike are competitive here?

“Sure, this song is pretty good for us. This year’s bikes are very competitive in terms of handling, so I think we’ve improved over last year, but we know MotoGP is a world full of surprises and something can always happen. However, our main goal will be to work always, compete as always and fight for the top spot if we can.. “

How important is mental strength to bounce back from a 91-point deficit, and the Motegi crash?

“All the ups and downs in the early part of the season were not so many ups and downs but just collisions. In the first part of the season, I had to play when there was a problem and I just made mistakes.

“I tried to analyze why I was crashing and this helped me better understand every situation. In Japan, I was too ambitious, but I got lucky twice. Firstly, I didn’t hit Fabio – I didn’t touch him when I collided – and secondly, Fabio was with me, so he didn’t gain much from my collision, and this must have been the case. Definitely very lucky.

“But, I know it’s important to be competitive; also in the condition when I was in trouble, in Thailand. Then in Australia, I just tried to do my best but in the last round, it was too risky to win again.

“In Malaysia, I am sure that it is very important to come here with the maximum number of points so that I can be more comfortable here, so my main goal is to win the race in Malaysia. Sure, Enea put a lot of pressure on me, but we were very competitive in the final laps and that’s what’s important before this race.. “

Valentino always comes or did you ask?

“It’s a great thing and can help a lot to have Vale with us because it’s good that he can be with me, but also for the other academy drivers. He knows the situation very well, he knows how I feel in this moment, so for sure, he will help me like a real coach and I think that will be a huge help.. “

Anything to say to Fabio?

“To enjoy the last race, to have a great battle, fair battle and I think you are one of the greatest so it’s great to have a fight like this. “

Fabio Quartararo

Do you feel more comfortable just winning and the pressure is on Bagnaia?

“Ah, clear goal, I only have one goal in mind. Obviously, I have nothing to lose, so I will do my best to do it, fight for victory. Of course, it’s not the best situation to fight for the championship, but it’s a good situation to not care at all. Whatever happens, it’s going to be a tough season but a good one, so all. “

Is qualifying on the top almost essential if you want to win here?

“Well, especially since last year here we had a big problem with the front tire and this year we have a step more difficult, so it will be of great help to us, we know it’s as important as like for us, so I’m pretty sure. “

Do you need surgery on your broken finger after the test?

“It’s not too painful but it’s just curved, so even riding in Malaysia shouldn’t be a big deal. I took some painkillers but it didn’t matter and it will be less here. I’m going to have surgery in the winter, just to have a normal finger because it’s so weird. “

Regardless of Sunday’s results, how will you look back on this season and what have you learned?

“Before the start of the season, we had bad news about the bike, and the start of the season was not going well. Let’s say I complained a lot because after a lot of time looking for something on the engine we found nothing, so I wasn’t quite as focused as I needed to be.

“Then I had a really great first half of the season; second, I think we’re still at the same level and a lot of the riders and manufacturers have moved on a little bit, and we’re still a little bit the same as we were at the start of the Championship.

“We made some mistakes after that, but I think, in general, you learn from having a difficult season. So it’s not the best, but it’s not too bad; We are still fighting for the championship in the final race. So a lot of lessons learned from this season will be really great in the future. “

Any word for Pecco…

“We always talk about Ducati, that they are strong, but he’s always been the leader, so of course he’s a top racer, it’s great to be here with him for the last time, so let’s have The last big battle of 2022 and enjoy it on Sunday night.“

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