“I love this part of the season”: Media Day dispatch from Emilia-Romagna

Miller confirmed, a Yamaha V4, title race talk and more: talking points abound on Thursday

Thursday, 19 September 2024

The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli plays host to Round 14 of 2024 and on Thursday at the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna, some of the main contenders previewed the start of a full-throttle triple-header that lies ahead.  

Check out the key story from Emilia-Romagna’s Media Day as the final 2025 rider puzzle piece is confirmed, and then enjoy the press conferences as eight riders sat down to chat with the media ahead of the action revving into life. Press Conference 1 saw Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) sit alongside Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), San Marino GP winner Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), before Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) were joined by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Miller. 

Check out all the top headlines from the day and then come back for more as track action begins on Friday!
 
 

Press Conferences: Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna

JORGE MARTIN (Prima Pramac Racing)

Without the spots of rain, you would be coming to this race in more of a comfortable position in the Championship but when there have been setbacks you have come back super strong, how important is it to do that again?

“First of all, before answering I want to send all my condolences to Luca Salvadori’s family and friends because it is a big loss, he was a big figure in our sport and let a lot of people know about MotoGP and motorbikes. The Championship is for sure getting more interesting, and it seems like when I get a bit of an advantage, I make a bit of a mistake. I feel more focused when Pecco is closer, I think I made the wrong decision, which I thought was the right one. The important thing is to learn from the mistakes and learn from these bad moments and as a team, it has brought us closer together. Everything happens because it has to, so I think it will help us in the future.”

You were in this position last year, do you feel better prepared?

“I am in a better position as I have a bigger advantage than last season. Last season, at this point, I was like 35/40 points behind, so for sure, it was different, but that is not the important thing, the important thing is that I am always fast, I am consistent and happy. I always want to improve, so I will try and focus on improving myself and learning, which I think will be the key, these three guys are super strong and to beat them is not easy, so I will try my best.”

FRANCESCO BAGNAIA (Ducati Lenovo Team)

How badly do you want to take Ducati’s 100th win in front of your home crowd?

“I tried two weeks ago, but I didn’t have the chance to do it in both races, Jorge in the Sprint and Marc on Sunday were too fast, and I struggled to get an opportunity to overtake, and I just had to finish second. On Sunday, when I saw Jorge enter the pits, I understood that I was taking a lot of points, and I tried everything to win, but once I understood it was difficult to beat Marc, I just tried to get the maximum amount of points possible. Finishing in second and gaining 19 points was a lot to gain. Right now, we are seven points behind and unluckily, because of what happened in Aragon, I could have a chance to have a bigger gap right now. I am looking forward to the race and not just for the fans but also for what happened one week ago, like what Jorge said. I just want to enjoy the weekend and maximise our work.”

How are you feeling, and do you think the Championship will go down to Valencia again?

“I think it depends, more or less like Jorge, comparing last season, I feel better physically as at this point of the season I was not in my best shape. I think our experience has given us the motivation to be under pressure, and I think it will finish more or less in Valencia. It will depend on the results as we are going to tracks where I am strong and all Ducati riders are strong, so we need to try and do a good job, it won’t be easy, but I love this part of the season.”

MARC MARQUEZ (Gresini Racing MotoGP™)

The target will be to repeat what happened on Sunday, but I guess one of the first targets for you will be to have a better Saturday…

“Of course, one of the most important points for us will be Practice, which will help us understand the race track, as it is the same circuit with different conditions, colder conditions, so let’s see what we can do. Last Sunday was really good, especially the second part of the race, as I felt really comfortable, and this gave me a lot of confidence and also on Monday’s Test, so let’s see if we can continue in the same way.”

Do you still think you have a big chance for the Championship?

“Of course, we are riding better than in previous races, especially since the Red Bull Ring, where we made a step. Not enough of a step still, they are a bit faster, and I need to improve some things, but for me, the most important thing is that I’ve achieved all of my targets for this year, so if something is coming it is welcome, but I am just trying to enjoy it and keep this level until the end of the season to prepare for 2025.”

ENEA BASTIANINI (Ducati Lenovo Team)

Four MotoGP™ races here in Misano, four podiums and two weeks ago you claimed third place. Do you feel you can be closer to Marc, Pecco and Jorge this weekend? And did you find anything at the Test on Monday to help you?

“I think this weekend will be different as I think we will have 10 degrees less compared to the last week, but maybe it will be the same with the same rider. I am confident to have another great weekend and try and get another podium, but I am here to be fighting for something more, I want to try and also win, but it is important to stay on the first and second row in qualifying to try and do this on Sunday. I had a good Test on the Monday after the race, and I think I have found something to help me the rest of the weekend, but we will see.”

Do you feel there is less pressure on you compared to the other three guys?

“It depends, I don’t know the pressure of the other three guys, but I have achieved many podiums, but there is always something missing. I think if you’re fighting for the title, you have to always be on top, and maybe I need to make one step if I want to fight for this. I probably have less pressure compared to these guys, but I don’t think it changes the cards on the table. It is the same, and I want to achieve more podiums and also some victories.”

BRAD BINDER (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)

Top five in the last three Grand Prix is a strong run. Do you think you can be closer to fighting the Ducatis this weekend?

“I definitely plan on, it has been a bit of a strange Thursday honestly, when you have been here a couple of weeks before. In general, it has been cool, we had time to go through everything from the Test and everything from the race weekend – trying to take the best bits from wherever we can. We will be starting the weekend in a much better place than what we were the last time we were here, so I am excited to see how we will manage and hopefully, we can fight towards the sharp end.”

Were you encouraged by the bike that you used In the Test?

“It was quite different from what we are currently using and there are some small details that we need to fine-tune. The initial impression was positive and I think KTM as a whole did a very good job at the Test as every rider was trying something different so we have a real wealth of knowledge and things that we tried which we can try and put together and push our package on as fast as possible.

MARCO BEZZECCHI (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)

Do you think that you can improve on your package from Misano 1 and be a step closer to fighting for the podium again?

“Last time here was not a bad weekend overall, finally I made a good qualifying, and I was struggling a lot in the time attacks, so I am really happy about this result. Still, this problem affects me a lot in the first couple of laps of the Sprint and also the GP, so this is the target for this weekend, to try and improve in this area and be closer to the fastest guys in the beginning and to try and fight until the end.”

What results would you like to achieve in the last part of the season?

“Of course, I would like another podium in Jerez this year, I was able to claim third place, but I would like to have one more at least before I leave the team.”

FABIO QUARTARARO (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™)

Is there anything that you want to try to be more competitive this weekend?

“Lately we have spent a lot of days in Misano, even before Misano 1 we had two days here. The Test was quite positive, we have been working in different ways, especially the chassis which looks like it will improve a little bit. When we are straight into Q2 on Friday, it completely changes your weekend and hopefully, we can fight to be in the top 10 on Friday.”

What do you think about the huge change for Yamaha (V4 engine) and do you know the target of when you will be able to race with it?

“When I have no idea but in the end, it has been a long time since we have been aware that Yamaha is working on a V4. They have been trying to put everything together for many months, we have seen new people, and a new mentality and I think the way we are working is a good one but you cannot change that in a few weeks. I think right now we are finding a way to work but in the last three/four years we have been really far away from the European manufacturers and we are trying to catch up, so I think Yamaha is doing a really good job.”

JACK MILLER (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)

How good is it to know that you will be on the grid in 2025?

“I am ecstatic to be here, and as I said in my media debrief, I still feel like I have some unfinished business here, and I was not ready to pack up my bat and ball. I am extremely grateful to Paolo and Yamaha for this opportunity, and I am looking forward to seeing the things which will happen in the future. Hearing Fabio’s comments gives you a massive boost of confidence and excitement. There is still a lot left to happen this year, we are coming up to my favourite part of the year, as you said, a lot of races in a short amount of time – I really enjoy this part of the season.”