MotoGP Riders Reflect on #MalaysianGP

MotoGP Team Manager also have their say on the Sepang MotoGP

Michelin happy with the lap-times achieved on wets

Andrea Dovizioso – P1

“It was a truly perfect weekend: we were quick in every session, both in the dry and in the wet, and today in the rain we dominated. Here at Sepang Jorge and I really had a bike advantage, because our Desmosedici was very fast, and we managed to administer the gap in the best possible way even though track conditions were very difficult because there wasn’t much grip. I’m very pleased for the win which keeps my hopes alive for the title, and even though I know it will be very difficult at Valencia because it’s a track where Marquez always goes well, we’ll be going to Spain with confidence to try and bring home the victory.”

Jorge Lorenzo – P2

“It was a great race that showed the progress we made throughout the weekend. I was really at ease on the bike, and even though I’d have preferred a dry race, when I saw it was raining I changed my mentality and tried to keep focussed, in order to avoid a mistake like Misano. I pushed hard but in the last few laps I was in a bit of crisis with the tyres, especially the front, and had a few scary moments in some corners. It wasn’t the right time to do anything stupid and when I almost crashed at Turn 15 and Andrea passed me I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to fight for the win. I know exactly how important a world title is for Ducati, Dovizioso has had a fantastic season and deserves to fight for the championship right down to the last race. In this weekend Andrea has always been faster and I’m pleased for the team for this first 1-2 win of the season, because it means we’re working really well.”

Johann Zarco – P3

“It was a great race and I am happy to be on the podium again. I was a bit worried about riding in the wet because when it rained on Friday, I was not fast and overall, Marquez and Dovizioso were pretty quick. Today I used the soft tyre in order to be safe but also to get some feeling and the lap times during the race were not amazing, yet, they were fast enough to lead and I opened up a gap. It was good to start the GP in this way, and even though I felt that I couldn’t push anymore, I did enough to stay first. Then, when the two Ducati riders overtook me, I thought about fighting with them. Eventually, I lost too much in acceleration so I had to push a lot on the brakes. Yet, it was too risky and I lost the rear twice. I wasn’t sure about what to do, however, I expected the track to dry a bit, and then I wanted to attempt to catch them, but I was limited. On the last three laps, I ran alone in third, so I decided to stay focused and the result was already pretty good so I chose to be safe and enjoy it!”

Marc Marquez – P4

“Today the race was the most difficult one we could have had for the Championship because we had rain conditions and the track was extremely slippery. Anyway, I got a good start, and I tried to push at the beginning because I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the group. Then I tried to find the feeling and the pace but I saw that both the Ducatis were very fast, so I decided to not take too many risks, to be calm, and to get good points for the Championship. I thought about trying to get Zarco but the risk was too big just to have an advantage of 24 points instead of 21. This wasn’t the race to win the Title but rather one to get closer to it. I’m happy because after a difficult weekend, at a track where we always struggle, we still managed to finish fourth. Of course now we need to keep focused, to train well this week, and to work to be at 100% on Sunday in Valencia without relaxing too much with the advantage we have. Today we won the Constructor Title, and that’s a first step!”

Dani Pedrosa – P5

“Overall I’m happy with the result, and I’d like to thank my team for giving me a bike that allowed me to be competitive. Of course after earning the pole yesterday, the expectations would have been high if the conditions were dry, and when I saw the rain starting to fall I thought we might go from first to last. But in the end we changed the setting, trying something we had never used before in an effort to get more rear grip, and it worked! That and the choice of the soft rear tyre gave me confidence. The feeling still wasn’t perfect because the tyre was spinning on the straights, but at least it gave me edge grip and I was able to lean the bike. We’ve learned something that I think may also be helpful for the technicians in the future, so we can be satisfied. Today Honda won the Constructor Championship, and that’s important. It’s another title for the Company, and I’m happy about that.”

Danilo Petrucci – P6

“I’m happy with this 6th place also because it was a difficult race. The bike had a problem and I was forced to start from last place. The start was very good but in the early laps I struggled a lot. I couldn’t get a lot of traction during the race but I pushed hard to get the best result. If I have to be honest, though, I think we have missed an opportunity to fight for another podium”.

Valentino Rossi – P7

“We were a little bit unlucky with the weather because I think that on the dry we could have been competitive. We wanted to do a good race because we arrived here fresh from a podium on Phillip Island and it‘s good to try to stay at the top, but it rained. Unfortunately, today we also weren‘t strong enough with this bike on the wet. We had a lot of problems and I was struggling for more or less three quarters of the race. We need to understand the situation and try to improve and that‘s just the way it is. We‘ll see what happens in Valencia. It‘s another important race and a difficult track, but we‘ll see. We‘ll try to be competitive.”

Jack Miller – P8

“The opening laps were not easy with the grip levels and it was struggle to stay on the track especially when I was on the left side of the tyre, I was just trying to stay on two wheels. It was a little scary. But from halfway in the race the rear tyre started working better and I was able to make up some positions and grab eighth. Overall a good weekend, I was very strong in the dry and this was my second top ten since coming back from the broken leg so I’m now looking for more points in Valencia.”

Maverick Vinales – P9

I thought we made a big step in Phillip Island in the wet, and actually I felt really good during FP2. We were third in the results and every lap I did I felt in a good rhythm. In the race it was a totally different feeling, I was losing the rear in the corners and couldn‘t lean, so it was very difficult to get a good rhythm and confidence. Anyway, I have to keep FP2 and the warm up on Phillip Island in mind and don‘t think about today‘s race too much, because we had some issues today, but we were fast in some other sessions. I think Valencia is a good track. Actually, in the warm up we found a setting that gives me a lot of confidence. I‘m quite happy about that, also because I know we have a good opportunity in Valencia, as it‘s a track I really like and where I always have been fast. We‘ll see what happens and try to complete the race there in the best way possible.

Pol Espargaro – P10

“It was not easy as these wet races here are quite long, at times feeling like they’re never going to finish, but I felt good at the start battling with Rossi early on even if I maybe lost a bit of time fighting with him. Then I got my rhythm and got into the top ten with my target a ninth but Vinales overtook me…but hey, just saying ‘Vinales overtook me on the last lap’ means we were fighting against someone of that level and that is something of which I’m proud. Obviously we want to improve but it’s been a long way since we did our first race in MotoGP with KTM and I think the progression we are doing is unbelievable, so this is another result for the team and the factory in Austria before we go to the last race in Valencia.”

Álvaro Bautista – P11

“This is not the result we would have liked. We started well on Friday, had some problems yesterday and today in the wet I felt good at the start on the soft rear but from half distance the track was drying and I struggled. It was a gamble and if it was wetter it would have paid off. I was making up positions until the tyre finally gave up. At least I went better than usual in the wet and the feeling was better. Now we have to look towards Valencia and try to finish the season in a good way.”

Bradley Smith – P12

“The start today was good fun as I took chances trying to overtake as many as possible using the best of the softer rear tyre that I had while it was wet. Then I wasn’t quite able to make the final steps to defend that great start as the track didn’t quite dry out but just got ‘less wet’. I was as close to the winner in terms of time today as I have been in the wet so we’re going in the right direction for that kind of set up for the coming races. It’s been a great three weeks of racing and I’ve really enjoyed getting back into a normal place that I believe I should be.”

Scott Redding – P13

“My race start was very good. The feeling with the medium tyre in the warm up lap was not good so we bet on the soft rubber. I pushed a lot and the feeling was very good until halfway through the race. Then the tyre started to drop and I started losing many tenths of a second each lap. I think it was a fairly positive weekend and this gives me confidence in sight of Valencia.”.

Hector Barbera – P14

“It was a very difficult race. From the beginning, I struggled because I made the wrong tyre selection and it was like riding on ice. I decided to start with the harder tyre, the same one I used last year when I finished fourth here, but this time it was impossible to go fast. I think the track today just suited the soft compound. I also realised as early as in the warm-up lap that the bike was very stiff. During the whole race, I had very bad feeling and I just focused on finishing the race. It’s a shame, because we had a good chance to make a good result today. Now we left it for Valencia, which is the last race of the championship, my home race and also the last race with my team.”

Cal Crutchlow – P15

“Today was a very tough day. To finish 15th in the rainy conditions is very disappointing, but we had a clear issue from the warm-up lap of the race so I just had to try and stay on the bike to collect some points. We’re obviously very disappointed as a team, and me as a rider, to have this issue, but we have to go to the last race of the year in Valencia with a positive mindset.  I felt that we would be a lot more competitive in the rain today that what we have been, but we had something categorically wrong with the rear tyre of the bike. I had a lot of vibrations and I was in survival mode for the whole of the race. I was riding just trying to stay on the bike, only when it started to dry towards the end of the race was I able to really open the throttle of the bike in the correct way. But let’s wait and see what Valencia brings for us.”

Michael van der Mark – P16

“I am really happy with today’s result, even though it was typical Malaysia and just before the race commenced, it rained again! The team and I changed the bike considerably compared to Friday when it was wet and we went softer on the rear. I had quite a good start, and the first half of the GP went very positively as I followed the guys in front of me and I fought with a lot of riders. I’m pleased with my performance, even if I wasn’t completely happy with the bike, but it was only my second time on the YZR-M1 in the wet. In my eyes, to fight for the points and follow Maverick was really amazing. When it dried a little bit, I struggled slightly more than him, yet, I could run a similar pace. I think I lacked a bit of confidence with the turning of the bike, otherwise, I may have been able to stay with the big group in front of me. I hoped to catch them with Maverick, but I also wanted to finish the race, which I did. Overall, I enjoyed the weekend a lot and my first experience with the YZR-M1 was just amazing.”

Andrea Iannone – P17

“It’s hard to find the words to describe this race. In the wet everything got complicated and it was very hard to ride. It’s a shame because this morning in the warm-up we were very fast. We were confident and positive; we could have had the chance in race to fight for important positions. Until this morning we managed to improve the machine. So, despite the race we have done a good job. In race the bike was very hard to ride. I couldn’t even stand up; I felt no grip either at the front or at the rear. In these conditions it was very hard to compete.”

Tito Rabat – P18

“It was dry and sunny all morning then rained for our race so not ideal for me and then I feel I had some issue with the rear tyre, my knee was on the tarmac many times even with very little throttle, I had zero grip. I had a strange feeling and at one point thought about stopping but I pushed to the end although I’m disappointed to be so far behind.”

Sam Lowes – DNF

“I was already surprised during the sighting lap at how different the track conditions were from FP2. In that session I had felt good in the wet, whereas today I struggled a lot with grip. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake in the group. I was slightly off my line and that was enough to make me lose the front. It’s a pity because in the wet we had the potential to make progress, but in a race this difficult things like this can happen.”

Loris Baz – DNF

“Finally we had a wet race and coming onto the grid with the hard rear tyre, I had no feeling, like on Friday. That’s why we decided to race with the soft, although we knew that it would be difficult to save the tyre until the end as it likely to overheat. But we took the risk and I thought that I would be able to do a few laps with confidence, attack and then manage the advantage until the end. In the warm-up lap I saw immediately that the rubber was working really well. I had a great comeback in the first lap, up to ninth place, and I had a great time battling with everyone. At least once in my life I have been able to fight side by side with Rossi…it was great! Then the tyre got very hot and I pushed hard with the front and made a mistake. I got into a corner very fast and in order to slow down more, I downshifted and then I crashed. It’s a shame, but I’m still satisfied, because it was either this or finish in the last place, struggling for all the race. “

Karel Abraham – DNF

“I didn’t want a wet race but it’s what we got. Warm up was really good because I did my best ever lap here but then it started to rain. I settled myself and felt comfortable, I had one big moment when I lost the rear but didn’t crash, and then a couple of laps later I lost the front and crashed with the bike completely upright. Maybe I used too much brake but it’s hard to understand how you can lose the front like that. I can do a fast lap in the wet but it seems I can’t do twenty so it’s something I need to work on with my crew during the winter. It’s a shame because I was catching Viñales and he finished ninth so I don’t know if I could have kept his pace later on but I felt comfortable at that point. The crash was a surprise and it’s a shame because we lost a bunch of points we could have had from here.”

Alex Rins – DNF

“The weekend has been very good, progressing and getting a good qualifying position. I focused on making a good start and try to cling to the group in front. I gained two positions in the first lap and I was well positioned, but I did not feel good on the bike on the wet surface. I skated a lot and I lost rhythm. In corner one I lost control of the front and I fell. The important thing is that we continue to get experience. This weekend has been good because I have been able to learn from other riders, and to continue that good job in Valencia.”

MotoGP Team Managers on #MalaysianGP

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“I’m really pleased about today’s splendid result, which keeps the title battle open until the final round. Both Andrea and Jorge did a perfect race, without making any mistakes despite difficult track conditions and the Ducati proved to be the bike to beat on this track. It was a memorable team result: now we are going to Valencia with the knowledge that it will be a tough task but we will play our cards right down to the very end.”

Massimo Meregalli – Movistar Yamaha Team Director

“We knew from the start that the weather was going to be a major factor in how today‘s race was going to play out. We had wet track time in FP2 this weekend and the feeling was quite positive, especially for Maverick, but today the situation was different and we have to understand the reason. The riders couldn‘t warm up the rear tyre until midway through the race and this cost them a lot of positions. When the feeling with the tyre got better, the lap times improved considerably, but unfortunately it was too late. We have to understand how the conditions of the track were different compared to Friday, because the bikes had quite similar settings today to the ones used in FP2. We’ll put this weekend behind us and after a week off we’ll focus on the final GP in Valencia in two weeks’ time. Our challenge in the Constructor Championship has come to an end and the Team Title also will be very difficult to achieve, but we‘re still aiming to make a strong comeback, to end the season on a high note.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 Yamaha Team Manager

“It’s a great way to end these three flyaway races and the weather, as well as the track conditions, were tricky but finally, we got the podium that we were dreaming of after the one we had in Le Mans. I was really sad and bitter to have just missed out on third in Australia and I thought maybe that was the last opportunity of the season for Johann to get on the rostrum again. However, he proved me wrong today. He was fast and confident about scoring a solid result in the dry, but when we saw the rain falling, we thought the chance had gone, because the feeling on Friday in the wet was not very good. He chose the soft rear tyre, started well, got his head down and ran a strong rhythm which allowed him to be in the lead for the first seven laps. This was an incredible feeling for him but even more so for us. We knew that it was always going to be difficult to stay in front of the Ducati bikes and when they passed us, it was almost like it was the plan. Then we saw Marquez closing and I was scared because we know how fast and how much of a warrior he is. Yet, when Johann saw the gap was shrinking between himself and Marc, he pushed more and finally, Marquez gave up. This is something we have to be proud about as Marc does not often give up. A podium is an incredible reward and three consecutive front rows starts, and a near podium in Australia all mean that the flyway races have gone very positively. We can see that Johann is growing and he is so much more of a MotoGP rider than when we began the year of course. On the other side of the garage, Michael van der Mark did a brilliant job. I want to thank him because it was not easy to jump on a MotoGP bike at round 17 when everyone is fast and they know their bikes so well. Like with Broc last week, he had to discover the carbon brakes, the Michelin tyres and the electronics. Yet, Michael did a top job. He was a bit unhappy with himself after the crash in qualifying, but today he showed great determination. He had a strong start and fought with Cal Crutchlow, who is a Grand Prix winner in the wet, Iannone and he closed in on the factory Yamaha’s. I must thank him for his super effort and I hope, and I think it may happen, that we will see him on the YZR-M1 in the future. Let’s hope this performance will give him a special boost that will translate into a podium in the final WorldSBK race in Qatar next week. I must say thanks to the entire Monster Yamaha Tech3 team, so let’s fly back home and enjoy some well-deserved rest.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“I’m so disappointed because we had three races in a row, and the first two we did a good job. The first was in Motegi in wet conditions and then in Phillip Island, and now this time on a dry track. But in Sepang, despite the qualifying not being so bad, the race it was not as we expected. We had confidence in wet conditions as well, but the race was a disaster. We have to investigate the data of what happened with Andrea and why he couldn’t ride as he should and get a good result. Alex was having a good race at the beginning but unfortunately, he crashed and he was sorry for the mistake. We have to improve with him. Now we are facing the last race of the season, so because of that, it should be the best race with which to close the championship with a good result.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“It was a very difficult race. It’s a shame that it rained before the race because we were prepared for a dry race. With the rain Alex was quite fast, close to the first group. Unfortunately, he crashed twice and in trying to switch bike as quickly as possible, he got a black flag because he used the shortcut to the pit lane access. His race was over. Regarding Andrea, he couldn’t find the pace with the bike and we have to figure out what happened, why he wasn´t as fast as in Motegi. Let’s say it wasn’t a day to remember. Anyway, we look forward to closing the Championship in the best possible way.”

Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager

“We didn’t know what we would find at these three overseas races but in particular Sepang is where I thought it might be difficult for us. The reality is that is has been difficult as we are up against the other manufacturers who’ve done so much testing here since the start of the four stroke era, but the KTM team did a great job. The riders and the two crews did a perfect job making us all fit quite well together with the support from Mattighofen; they’re always giving us something new enabling us to make small steps forward. Now we are happy after these three weeks to have a weekend at home and then go fresh to Valencia with our three riders as Mika (Kallio) is there so let’s just go for it and make a good end to the season.”

Michael Bartholemy – MarcVDS Team Principal

“For Jack to finish eighth is a good result considering he had a difficult start to the race, the conditions were slippery and he was sliding a lot. In the final laps he tried to catch Valentino for seventh but in any case I’m happy with this result. For Tito it was not an easy weekend with the conditions and when the rain came for the race it was even more difficult. Now we move to Valencia and look forward to the final race of the season.”

Michelin reflect on #MalaysianGP

Nicolas Goubert – Michelin

“Over such a long track and in very tricky conditions we saw lap-times of only just over 10% more than what the guys were doing in the dry and today’s surface was extremely compromised from the amount of rubber laid in yesterday’s practices – where track temperatures were over 50°C – and in the two races earlier today, and also probably from the dust that was in the rain that fell. This made grip a real issue from the asphalt and we are pleased how our tyres behaved in these conditions. In the dry yesterday we saw some fantastic lap-times and all the guys reported high levels of grip and if we had had a dry race today all three compounds would most probably have been used, again showing that the variations we bring can be used by all the riders. These three weeks have seen some great racing and we have collected a huge amount of information, which we will now work on and use to move forward in any ways we deem necessary. Now it’s on to Valencia and the final race where we will see the title decided.”

Sepang MotoGP 2017 Race Results

1. DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA 25 Ducati Team Ducati 44’51.497
2. LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA 20 Ducati Team Ducati 0.743
3. ZARCO Johann 5 FRA 16 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 9.738
4. MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA 13 Repsol Honda Team Honda 17.763
5. PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA 11 Repsol Honda Team Honda 29.144
6. PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA 10 Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 30.380
7. ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA 9 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 30.769
8. MILLER Jack 43 AUS 8 EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 35.238
9. VINALES Maverick 25 SPA 7 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 38.053
10. ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA 6 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 39.847
11. BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA 5 Pull&Bear Aspar Team Ducati 42.559
12. SMITH Bradley 38 GBR 4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 44.602
13. REDDING Scott 45 GBR 3 Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 48.696
14. BARBERA Hector 8 SPA 2 Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 50.058
15. CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR 1 LCR Honda Honda 50.705
16. VAN DER MARK Michael 60 NDL 0 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 56.397
17. IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA 0 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 58.391
18. RABAT Tito 53 SPA 0 EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 1’25.571
19. LOWES Sam 22 GBR 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 11 laps
20. ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE 0 Pull&Bear Aspar Team Ducati 12 laps
21. BAZ Loris 76 FRA 0 Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 15 laps
22. RINS Alex 42 SPA 0 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki MotoGP

MotoGP World Championship Points Standings

1. Marc MARQUEZ Honda SPA 282
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA 261
3. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 226
4. Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA 197
5. Dani PEDROSA Honda SPA 185
6. Johann ZARCO Yamaha FRA 154
7. Jorge LORENZO Ducati SPA 137
8. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA 121
9. Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR 104
10. Jonas FOLGER Yamaha GER 84
11. Alvaro BAUTISTA Ducati SPA 75
12. Jack MILLER Honda AUS 73
13. Scott REDDING Ducati GBR 64
14. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA 62
15. Andrea IANNONE Suzuki ITA 60
16. Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA 55
17. Alex RINS Suzuki SPA 46
18. Loris BAZ Ducati FRA 45
19. Karel ABRAHAM Ducati CZE 30
20. Tito RABAT Honda SPA 29
21. Hector BARBERA Ducati SPA 27
22. Bradley SMITH KTM GBR 24
23. Michele PIRRO Ducati ITA 18
24. Mika KALLIO KTM FIN 11
25. Sam LOWES Aprilia GBR 5