He might not have won his third consecutive title, but there is still a lot of Francesco Bagnaia in the record-breaking 2024 that Ducati is celebrating this evening in Bologna, in the third edition of "Campioni in Festa."
Battling to the very end with new World Champion Jorge Martin, the man from Piedmont was in fact the most successful rider of the season, securing no less than 11 of the 19 victories won by the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer in the 20 races held this year.
"We clearly saw that you can always learn from many things, because winning is not the most important thing. We have achieved so much, always finishing in the top 3 every time we have finished the race, except in Austin, and that in my opinion is a great result.
Crashing, and the various bits of bad luck we've had, definitely didn't help, but in certain situations, in my opinion, losing serves as a lesson and we definitely know what to do to not make mistakes again," Bagnaia remarked, explaining in the press conference the effect it had on him to see his name dominate the graphics with the victories won by the men in Red.
Accepting defeat is never easy, but Pecco seems to be doing it in the right spirit.
"The most complicated moment in these weeks was when I learned that Verstappen had won the title for the fourth time. I thought back to the fact that I, too, could have been a four-time World Champion and it brought me back to defeat a little bit.
But I'm experiencing it more as an opportunity, because I know why we lost, I know that we lost the title and that makes a difference," he explained, "I think there's nothing to complain about in what we did. It was a great season and we should be proud.
I am extremely proud of my team and Ducati in general. As I said, sometimes losing helps in other aspects, because if I had won the title you would definitely not have seen the sportsmanship that Ducati has always had in this world and that has been recriminated against us in the last three years. In the bad you always have to see the good."
Asked about the three highlights of his season, the 27-year-old said, "Jerez, where we were able to understand this bike and plot a start, because up to there we had been struggling. Assen, which was a key race in terms of momentum, and then Malaysia, in a negative way, because that was the one that cut us off at the knees."
Turning his eyes to 2025, the three-time world champion already has in mind what to improve.
"In certain situations, like in Malaysia, Misano or Silverstone, I've always tried to win and get the best result, because it's not in my nature to be content with the position I'm in: I always try to get as far ahead as possible.
But there are times when backing off a little bit changes the situation, and this year already one less mistake could have changed the final result," he acknowledged, "You always need to bang your face in it."
Changing the scoring system and rewarding wins more could also be another improvement for the next championship.
"This is a scoring system that I think has been there forever, since before Sprint Races came along, which changed a lot the system in which to get points in a race weekend. With the introduction of this race, I think we need to consider incorporating bonuses for those who win both races, or maybe at the fastest lap level.... Something to reward those who are faster - commented Bagnaia - It has always been a championship that has rewarded consistency and the scoring system that is there today has allowed me to fight for the title with eight zeros, so it is balanced.
In my opinion, though, the Sprint affects multiple fronts, not just the show, so something more should perhaps be considered."
However, the upcoming season already looks promising, as the Italian and his new teammate, Marc Marquez, provided engineers with the same feedback at the first winter test.
"I think that testing is a very important phase in so many ways, because you dictate the development and try to make sure that everything is in place by the time you leave for the first race," he noted, "Barcelona is a different track than Valencia, where you reach among the highest top speeds in the World Championship and the grip is very low, and this allows you to try more things.
To have had a similar feeling to Marc's on so many things was good, because we were able to identify fairly quickly the aspects to work on, those that are going better and those that are going worse. So, it was also a little easier for the engineers to identify the way forward in order to arrive in Malaysia a little better prepared."
Pecco then commented on recent statements by Marquez, who considers him the number one in the Ducati box.
"I believe that there aren't any number ones in the box and should never be- he stressed - The season always starts on an equal footing, with the riders on the same level and with the same say, then things change during the season and every year you start from scratch.
If during the season one rider is ahead in the championship and the other one is further behind, I think we have to work to try to help the one in front, but in general I think Ducati's strategy has always been correct and fair toward its riders, and I think Marc, being an extremely intelligent person, understands immediately what is the environment and the way of working that we have. We have seen already in the tests that we have done a very good job and by starting like this we are already on the right track."
Speaking of number ones, what would Bagnaia steal from Valentino Rossi?
"That's an impossible question. Valentino Rossi is Valentino Rossi," he concluded, "I think the thing that has always distinguished him has been his awareness, but I think I am also very aware of my potential. So, I think it is right to leave him where he is, since he is untouchable like few others in this sport, and just try to aspire to be similar to him."
