Francesco Bagnaia remained calm during practice today, despite spending much of the time on the edge of missing out on a Q2 spot.

An early technical issue forced Bagnaia to switch bikes just as dark clouds loomed over Phillip Island. Bagnaia’s progress was then further delayed by a red flag, losing a third of the session without setting a competitive time. Although his initial lap barely placed him in the top ten, he was soon pushed out before managing a time good enough for fifth, just a few moments before yellow flags halted the session with three minutes remaining.

Bagnaia’s title rival, Jorge Martin, had similar challenges early in the session after he crashed but managed to recover quickly to secure his Q2 spot. However, what seemed like a tense situation from the outside didn’t trouble Bagnaia.

“I had a small issue with my first bike, so I had to switch,” Bagnaia explained. “But after that, everything was fine, and we quickly understood how to adjust things.”

Reflecting on Martin’s crash, Bagnaia added, “I saw Jorge went down while I was also having problems. I thought, ‘if the rain causes me to miss out on Q2, it will be the same for him.’ So I stayed calm.”

Bagnaia said that he felt his late lap wasn’t reflective of his full potential, as yellow flags caused by Aprilia wildcard Lorenzo Salvadori prevented him from improving further.

“I never felt at risk of missing Q2,” he clarified. “I was getting faster with each exit. My last lap on used soft tires was good, and then with new softs, I was just unlucky with the yellow flags. The first lap was quick, but here, you usually improve on the second lap.”

Despite the setbacks, Bagnaia was satisfied with his top 10 finish and said he is confident for Saturday, noting, “We know what to do for tomorrow.”

Regarding his slower progress compared to others, Bagnaia revealed it was partly due to setup work on the GP24, which required adjustments throughout the session. “We started with the 2023 setup, but the GP24 has less traction and more front-end weight, so we had to rebalance it,” he explained. “It was the right move, but it took more time than expected.”

This setup challenge might explain why GP23 bikes dominated the top three spots in practice and why Marc Marquez expects the latest-spec Ducati to make significant improvements on Saturday.

On a positive note, Bagnaia praised the new track surface at Phillip Island: “Today’s conditions were maybe the best I’ve ever experienced here—sunny, no wind, and excellent grip. The new asphalt is great, except for the bumps!”