The battle between the two allowed Marquez to reel the leaders in and set up his move in the final lap when Bagnaia was sizing up a move on Martin. Marquez outbraked Bagnaia into turn 9 and successfully made the move stick to finish P2 behind winner Jorge Martin. Bagnaia was forced to settle for third.

But all things considered it was a damage limitation weekend for Bagnaia who suffered from technical issues in the Sprint, which cost him crucial time to make adjustments for the race.

“Bittersweet!” explained Francesco Bagnaia about his race. “But I think it’s good, considering (the circumstances) all the weekend, what happened yesterday. And the fact that it’s the first time I finish the race in the last three years with a podium. So we can be satisfied, not happy, but satisfied.”

“I was trying to do the maximum, but we must consider the weekend in a positive way.”

“Friday went in a perfect way and then there was a little issue in the sprint, which didn’t allow us to finish the race.”

“Today, these two were just faster. I tried to do the maximum, but in the last few laps, I struggled to have something more, which was the opposite to Jerez.”

“We have to work on the next one because Martin and Marc were faster. So I need to improve.”

“Our performance was situated in two different parts. Because I was stronger in Sector One, Sector 2. They were stronger in Sector 3, and we were similar in Sector 4. So it was difficult to find a way to overtake. I didn’t use the mistake of Jorge in the second last lap.”

“It’s something that I have to improve and nothing more. They were just better, and they showed.”

When asked about the battle between Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, and Enea Bastianini for the second seat to partner him at the official Ducati, Francesco Bagnaia said that all three riders are deserving. 

He also made sure to mention Bastianini’s incredible performance in the race where he finished 2.2 seconds behind in P4 from tenth on the grid despite losing time and positions after running off the track and receiving a long-lap penalty.

“For me, they finished one, two, and four,” said the reigning World Champion. “So all three are very competitive. All three have different kinds of riding styles. I think Enea deserves to be where he is.”

“And today he was starting in P10 and he did a good job. He was faster. So I think he can continue working on it. So he also deserves the seat.”

The race in Barcelona will be held in two weeks, and just like in Le Mans, Bagnaia is coming off of two non-finishes in a row in this venue, but the Italian will be looking to turn the tables this time around as pace has never been an issue for the Italian at this track.

“Also this one [Le Mans]. Because it’s the first time I’m finishing the race since 2021. So Barcelona is also the same.”

“In 2022, I had contact in the first corner. Last year, it happened what happened [Huge crash at turn 3 from the lead]. So [despite the DNFs] it’s a track that I like!”

“[Barcelona] is in a very, very bad critical situation with the asphalt. But in any case, I was very fast last year. I was competitive with the pace for a win. So we will try again this season.”