Ducati Lenovo’s rising star continued to shine at home as Pecco Bagnaia claimed his second MotoGP victory at Misano on Sunday.

Another record breaking weekend saw the Italian come away from the San Marino GP with the full set for the second time, after achieving the pole position, a new all-time lap record and win at his beloved circuit. And all while defending hard once again, this time from championship leader Fabio Quartararo.

“I was knowing that it was very important to start well and to be already pushing from the start,” Bagnaia said of his Sunday efforts. “Because with the soft, the initial grip was better and I was already also knowing that Fabio in the last part of the race with the medium was faster.

“I just tried to be fast and constant from the start. I did my best start ever because I started when the light went off so it was incredible! I trained a lot for this, so it was great.

“When I passed the first lap, on the straight I was looking already to the board and there was plus 1.0 so it was incredible already. I just tried to manage the tyres and the last laps was very difficult. Because Fabio was recovering four, five-tenths per lap and was not easy but in the last lap I just tried to do the best and the sector three was my fastest sector three of the race. So was great!

“For sure I was worried,” he continued, referring to his ever approaching rival, “but I was also sure that to pass a Ducati in Misano was not easy. I was knowing that Fabio in the sector one was fast, and also in the sector four, but sector two and sector three was very great for us so I just tried to don't let him stay too close to me. And in the last lap I just tried to make all perfect everywhere. It was not easy but to win here is very special for me.”

It has been quite the week for the 24-year-old after he secured his maiden win in the premier class at MotorLand Aragón just seven days ago.

“For sure, the win in Aragón give to me a lot of motivation to arrive here more prepared to win a race. In this track, maybe is more special, because it's my home Grand Prix, in front our crowd so was incredible. Also the lap after the chequered flag was - I did the slowest lap here, just trying to say hi to everyone, and I got to the Ducati grandstand and was a big party there - so I enjoyed that a lot also.

“What I want to say is that for me is a special moment,” he continued. “After struggling a lot these years to win my first race. I struggled and every time was I was close but I was missing, and there was few mistakes and I had problems, so winning my first one in Aragón, and then already winning my second one here, give to me a lot more trust in myself. I'm sure that if we work well, and if we work more on some areas, we can stay always in front and we can battle with the top guys everywhere.

“For me, this one," Bagnaia answered when questioned on the hardest of his two wins. "Because this one is a shorter track with more laps and is more difficult physically this track - because you don't have time to relax. In Aragón, you have more time to stay in the straight and take more breath. Here is very strong and also because I was looking at the gap and every lap it was reducing, so it was very difficult to remain in concentrate in that moment. I was knowing it was like this because pushing like this in the first part of the race means also that in the last part, maybe you have a little less grip. So for me this one was more difficult.

“In terms of pace, in Aragón I was faster than here. Because in this weekend, I was very competitive in terms of pace, but Fabio, I think was a step in front - because also this morning he was doing an incredible pace with 16 laps of tyres, when he start, and for us was more difficult. So I was expecting to fight today for the win but I was thinking also that he can stay more close.

“When you start and open a gap, and then you see during the race that this gap is every laps, three, four-tenths smaller, you start to have more thinking on your bike and there was two/three laps where I struggle a bit, seeing this pace because I was trying to open this gap more but was impossible. So I take a breath and I just tried to be more constant as possible, to have more tyre in the last two laps.

“It was physically more difficult but I was terrified in the last six laps to make the same error of last year, because I was thinking, ‘don't crash turn six’. But then with remaining seven laps I was close to crash in turn one because there's a bump there, and I lose a bit the front so I was a bit scared about, but was not more difficult for that reason.”

Bagnaia’s riding style and strength on braking has been a topic of discussion and praise of late, with the young Ducati rider showcasing his progression over his past three seasons in MotoGP.

“Is something that I work on a lot,” he explained “because in the first year in MotoGP I was struggling a lot with the braking, and I started working a lot about that area, in the last part of 2019. In 2020, I was already doing a step, but I also work a lot with the street bike here to manage, I think better, the front tyre. Because one good thing about our Panigale is that, in terms of riding style, in terms of tyre - because the tyre that we are using are the Michelin Endurance tyres, because the construction is very similar - so what the front is doing, is close, I think. So I work a lot with the tyres and the bike and also with the data of Jorge Lorenzo, I work a lot. So, now the difference that I make is just in the last part of the brake, in the entry, I think. I'm braking hard and strong later that I can, but I make the difference more in the entry I think.

“The good thing about this bike is that it's very stable. So, in the fast corners, we can enter with a lot of speed and our bike is not shaking a lot. So I feel very great in fast corners in all the circuits that we have and also I have a really great feeling, with the front - but starting from this year. Before I was struggling a bit more.

“This year the feeling that I have with the front is incredible. We didn't change nothing on the bike. The setting is very similar compared to last year but the feeling has grown a lot and I improved a lot, how to manage the front tyre. So, the feeling is great and helps me to enter in the fast corners like this.”