Bagnaia held a commanding position in Saturday’s 12-lap sprint, leading at the end of lap two and stretching his advantage to over a second at one point.
However, while maintaining nearly a second lead, Bagnaia overshot Turn 1 on lap nine, tumbling to fourth, where he remained until the checkered flag.
Explaining the mishap, Bagnaia admitted to overlooking the impact of fuel consumption on his GP24’s braking as the race progressed, failing to adjust his braking accordingly.
“I made a blunder,” Bagnaia began. “Initially, everything felt perfect – a good start, attacking, managing the gap. However, I failed to consider the fuel consumption, particularly in Turn 1, where the downhill nature affects the rear.
“After a few laps, I noticed the rear elevation during braking remained consistent, yet I continued braking as usual. Consequently, I opted to run wide to avoid crashing and losing valuable positions. Despite the setback, I aimed to salvage as many points as possible.”
Reflecting on his Ducati’s behavior under braking, Bagnaia noted an increased instability compared to last year’s model but acknowledged his responsibility to adapt to it.
His mistake compounded a challenging day for the factory Ducati team, as pole-sitter and teammate Enea Bastianini finished sixth after a mishap with his front start device on the grid.
Pramac’s Jorge Martin claimed the top factory-spec Ducati position, finishing third, despite grappling with rear vibration issues throughout the sprint.
“Well, it was a difficult weekend with the soft tire,” Martin remarked. “Although I anticipated challenging for victory, rear vibrations persisted, hindering my performance. However, I aim to rectify this with the medium tire tomorrow, seeking a more stable setup.”