In a challenging day at Phillip Island, Francesco Bagnaia qualified fifth and finished fourth in the Sprint race of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the MotoGP World Championship. Bagnaia faced difficulties throughout the session, falling behind championship leader Jorge Martin, who secured pole position and won the Sprint, extending his lead to 16 points over Bagnaia.
Bagnaia expressed concerns about his performance, stating, "This morning, when we started riding with the wind, we had to make adjustments. I struggled in qualifying and felt a significant wind effect with the bike, which hindered my line through the fast corners." Despite attempts to modify the bike for the race, he noted that the changes did not yield positive results.
Looking ahead to the main race on Sunday, Bagnaia acknowledged the challenge posed by Martin, who maintained a consistent pace throughout the Sprint. "The race tomorrow will be long, but today Jorge was consistently fast, while I experienced tire degradation early on," he remarked, indicating the need for further improvements in bike setup.
As the MotoGP season approaches its climax, all eyes will be on the pivotal race scheduled for October 20, 2024, at the picturesque Phillip Island circuit, where both Martin and Bagnaia will contend for critical championship points.