Bagnaia won the race in Barcelona on Sunday by passing Martin on lap 19 at Turn 5. This was the same corner where he had fallen during Saturday’s race. Bagnaia had crashed his bike on Saturday, which had made him lose points in the championship.
He felt puzzled about Saturday’s fall because he was going slower than usual. But in Sunday’s race, he redeemed himself by making a successful pass at the same corner where he had crashed.
After crossing the finish line, Bagnaia showed his happiness by giving a fist bump at Turn 5 during the cool-down lap. He explained that he wanted to break the “myth” of crashing at that corner and succeeded in doing so.
Talking about his overtake on Martin, Bagnaia said, “I decided to do it in corner five, a bit just for what happened yesterday. Because yesterday I crashed there in a very strange situation. So I just decided to bust a myth. Yeah, and it worked well.”
He also mentioned that losing points due to Saturday’s crash was something he couldn’t accept. However, he approached Sunday’s race more cautiously, ensuring he finished without any mishaps.
In the early stages of the race, Bagnaia seemed to fall behind Martin and Acosta. However, he was actually saving his tires for a late attack. This strategy paid off as he caught up with Acosta, took the lead, and maintained his position till the end.
Bagnaia explained, “The pace, I just decided to remain [as] constant as possible and don’t push at the start like Martin and Pedro, and it was the correct choice because then in the last laps I was able to be very fast and controlling the pace, so I’m just very happy, just very happy.”
He also mentioned being worried about his tire wear initially but was relieved when he realized his strategy was working. Finally, he emphasized the importance of overtaking Martin to relieve pressure and secure the win.
