The Mugello winner, who narrowly missed out on yet another MotoGP pole, will start beh💝ind pre-race favourite Aleix Espargaro. 

The Aprilia rider has been nothing short of sensational so far this w✃eekend, however, having the best race pace is unlikel📖y to be enough on its own. 

That’s why Bagnaia, who conceded that Esparg🌠aro is a step ahead of the rest, believes he can challenge for victory if he plays his cards right.

"I was very close to doing another pole position but this weekend Aleix [Espargaro] is really str💫ong, like all the other weekends, but this weekend more," said Bagnaia. 

"I don’t know how to beat him but I think the key is to be smart with the rear tyre. It’s true that you can go fast in the be💦ginning of the race but then you have to be constant at the end of the race. 

"If you push early you won’t be 𝔍cons🎃tant at the finish of the race. It will be a race of survival because you have to be very smart on the acceleration."

Jack Miller to KTM moves closer - Bagnaia wishes the Australian ‘all the luck’ 

With Jack Miller rumoured to be very close to joining KTM, ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚFrancesco Bagnaia has admitted that he wants a team-mate juꦦst like the 2014 Moto3 runner-up. 

The two have been teammates since 2019 when they signed for Pramac and since the🌞n it’s been one of the strongest pairings in terms of results, but also how they work in the garage. 

Speaking about the anticipated news that Miller will leave Ducati, Bagnaia added: "For me, it was great to have Jack [Miller] because we formed a group inside the team. It’s something I really need and really🍰 want. 

"We worked together from 2019 and from that moment it was the start of our relationship. We worked great in the box and we talked a lot of times. We speak a lot during the weekend ab⭕out tyres, about everything. 

"I would like to have the same relationship in the future and who will be my team-ma✨te will understand that. 

"For me, if w✅e want to go fast and we want to improve then we have to be close and have a good relationship. I want to wish all the luck to Jack in his future." 

Espargaro ‘really riding the limit’ en route to second MotoGP pole of 2022

While Espargaro may have dominated FP2, 3 and 4, things appeared much tougher in quaಌlifying as challenges from Bagnaia and MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo left the♛ Aprilia rider on the limit. 

Still, Espargaro delivered!

"It was a very, very hard qualifying,"&nbs𒁃p;Espargaro said. "I would say that it’s the most difficult qualifying lap I’ve done so far this season because the track was super slippery. 

"I was not sure I could go underneath the time I set this mo𓆉rning. In FP3 itඣ came quite easy actually. I used just one soft rear tyre. 

"Qualifying was very, very slippery and I didn’t really enjoy the lap because I lost the front a couple of timeℱs. I also had a lot of highsides so I was really riding the limit of the bike." 

Like Bagnaia, Espargaro made changes for FP4, and while subtle, it helped th꧂e man who’s second in the championship feel ‘h🦹appy’ with the results. 

Espargaro and Aprilia tinkered with electronic settings in order to try and🦄 reduce how much tyre degradation could play a factor.

"Normally, 90% of the r♏aces are won by the fastest r𝓡ider, but here in Barcelona it’s not that easy," claimed Espargaro. "It’s not about going fast. I can go very, very fast but you have to manage the rear tyre. 

"It’s a bit frustrating because there is a certain moment when you can do nothing. You accelerate and just wait for the bike to go because the traction control is stopping you a lot, a lot. ༒;

"In FP4 I tried a different electroജnics setting to see if I lost a lot of time, but we are quite happy with the results.🐓 The pace I did was quite strong. 

"Tomorrow is about finding the thin line between speed and consumption [💝dꦕegradation] of the rear tyre."