The Ducati rider led for much of Sunday’s 20-lap Silverstone grand prix, holding his nerve when rain fell in the latter stages while Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, and KTM’s Brad Binder bore down on him.
Bagnaia was ultimately beaten by Espargaro after a last-lap move into Maggotts.
In MotoGP’s last wet contest in Argentina, Bagnaia crashed while running in second, and has already registered four non-scores in the opening nine rounds following on from his crash-strewn title charge in 2022.
Having made no mistakes in the tricky conditions on Sunday at Silverstone, Bagnaia was asked by Motorsport.com if he feels he has to prove a point in these situations that he can avoid critical errors.
“For sure, the most difficult part of the weekend is the race because it’s the one that gives you points,” he began.
“I’m not thinking ever that I have to demonstrate to anyone our potential because I know perfectly what I can do, what our team can do, what Ducati can do.
“So, I’m just trying to work well, to prepare perfectly the race and don’t have any surprises in the races.
“This is something that has changed compared to last year. We are working more in the [practice] sessions to have a great feeling in the races.
“Sometimes if you see the positions in the practice, you can see I’m not in front, I’m a bit behind but I’m always working with used tyres to be in front in the race.
“It’s something that I prefer, it’s something that gives me more concentration to start the race. It wasn’t easy, because Saturday was a full day of wet.
“So, starting the race without a full feeling on the dry was not easy. But it motivated me to push. I think if you are focused, you can leave everything behind.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Despite this, Bagnaia admits the arrival of rain made him “scared” as he struggled to understand the limits of grip.
“I was just pushing, trying to win,” Bagnaia, who is now 41 points clear in the standings, added.
“In the moment I will stop pushing and be happy about finishing second, I will have to consider [my career] again.
“I’m happy with the result because yesterday [in the sprint] we lost a lot of points and we know that our potential in every condition has to be this one.
“So, happy with the summary of this weekend. Today I tried, I pushed at the start but we started on the soft front tyres for the conditions, but maybe it wasn’t the good choice.
“Then when it started to rain, I was just scared. Turn 15, in the last sector, I wasn’t understanding the limit that I was able to push on the tyres and track.
“And I was hearing Aleix was very close to me, so I was understanding that he was trying in the last lap to overtake, considering the potential Aleix has in this track and the traction the Aprilia has.
“I tried to prepare and respond to his attack, but it wasn’t enough. He deserved to win today.”