Ducati Lenovo’s Pecco Bagnaia is anticipating another strong weekend as MotoGP arrives in Japan, despite the three year absence.

“I’m very happy to be here because it’s one of my favourite places to come,” Bagnaia said of the Mobility Resort Motegi Circuit. “It means the start of the Flyways normally and it’s one of my favourite layout of tracks so I’m very happy.

“For sure the situation is totally different compare 2019 when I was rookie and I was struggling with my bike so I think that this year can be good. I really like the layout so I think that it suits very well to our bike and I really like the [hard] braking so I think we can be competitive.

“Looks that normally we are the bike to beat because it’s like our bike is the more complete I think in this moment,” he continued on his and the Desmosedici’s current strong run of form. “This track for sure is quite great but we are seeing also that in Austria - that our bike normally is the fastest - that Fabio was able to be faster than us so will be very important to do the correct decision about the feeling of the bike and we have to consider also the condition because looks that can rain.”

While Quartararo still commands the 2022 standings, Bagnaia’s dominant form across the summer has seen him reduce the deficit to the Frenchman to just ten points with five races left to run but with challenging weather on the horizon, Sunday’s battle could prove trickier than usual.

“In this moment, I’m not thinking too much on the championship because I think five races are still a lot and everything can change still,” the 25-year-old acknowledged. “So I would like to do my work like always and try to be competitive.

“Is true that on wet I’m not the fastest, I’m struggling always and in Indonesia finished 15th, so for sure will be very important to have more sessions on wet before, if the race will be on wet because understanding already the condition.”

With two last-lap battles between Bagnaia and Gresini’s Enea Bastianini in recent races, and the pair winning one apiece, team orders at Ducati are the talking point of the paddock as the season winds down.

“Sincerely I don’t think that I need some help to be in front so I prefer to win on track and not because someone let me pass but in any case I’m not inside of this,” the factory rider explained. “The decision is something that for sure I said my desire, that is to let me do what I want to do and if they decide something different is not something about me.

“I will be racing, I will try to be in front and I will try to win so this is my main goal like I did in Aragon or Misano.”