Ducati Lenovo’s Pecco Bagnaia looks on a roll after three MotoGP wins on the bounce ahead of his home round at the San Marino GP.

Having slashed the gap to Yamaha’s leading light Fabio Quartararo to just 44 points with seven rounds left to run in 2022, Bagnaia is hoping for a successful showing at his local and well loved circuit.

“I don't think that are 'only 44’, are a lot for the win!” Bagnaia admitted. “But I'm very happy to race in my home Grand Prix because I was looking forward from the start to the season to see, I hope, a lot of fans in the crowd and trying to enjoy the people around here.

"I think and I'm sure that the battle there will be tough because Fabio last year was very competitive.

"I think that this year with the step in front that Aprilia have done Aleix [Espargaro] will be in front, a lot of Italian riders with the Ducati they will be strong. Franco [Morbidelli] too I think, so will be not easy. Also for that condition, the forecasts are not so great for the weekend. But in any case, I think we have a good possibility to do a good job.

“I'm happy, I didn't want to have to decide who would be my teammate because I think it's something that is a decision from the team not from the rider,” he said of the confirmation Enea Bastianini will replace Jack Miller alongside him in the factory team for the next two years. “In any case, I think that we can do a good job with Enea. I know him very well from where we were young so I think we can do a good job.”

“I think when you start to be on a factory team is totally different in terms of working [a race weekend] than during a test, because then you have a lot of people around you asking you things but during a race weekend… I mean with Jack we are doing a really great job. We are speaking about tyres, we are speaking about corners and it's something that helps us to improve. Also for the tyres because he tried tyres, I tried different tyres and normally we do this type of work that for sure with Enea at the start will not be so easy to do because maybe he's not used to do it. So we have to start from the first weekend and to try to do it and then see if he will be able to accept this kind of work.”

Bagnaia’s skill at the 4.2km is repeatedly honed due to training with the VR46 Academy on stock machines throughout the season with the Italian admitting his confidence to attack Curvone flat out on the Panigale V4R.

“I am not so great to try with a GP, to do it flat out because it's too fast but with the Panigale is just because the gearbox is a bit short so I touched the limit, the revs and is easier to stay in,” he confirmed. “But for sure I know everything about this track. Is our training circuit so it's great that is like this.

"We have this possibility and we use it but like always, we can test a lot in here but last year Fabio was with me in the race. Bastianini was very competitive, also Marc [Marquez] in the second one was very competitive. So you can test a lot but then the World Championship riders are always competitive.”