“Yesterday I was happy, today I am super happy,” said the winner, who is chasing a first world title since 2019. “I mean it’s a dream.”
“For one moment I thought I might hold on to win,” admitted Alex. “But he was able to not use a lot of rear tyre and I was using up everything.”
“I gave my all,” said Bagnaia. “But Marc, he was playing with us all day. So maximum ambition was to finish in P2 but it we finished in P3.”
The opening races took place without defending world champion Jorge Martin, who is recovering from fractures to his right hand and left foot after a crash during pre-season testing in Malaysia.
It is not yet clear when the Aprilia rider will be back in action but he will miss the next races of the season in Argentina on 15 and 16 March.
