2018 MotoGP

Round Six – Mugello MotoGP Rider Quotes

Jorge Lorenzo – P1

“I am very happy! Yesterday I said that winning at Mugello with Ducati was a dream for me and today this dream came true. It’s one of the most special wins of my entire career, probably on the same level as my first win in 125 in 2003 and in MotoGP in 2008. I’m really thrilled about it and pleased for the team, because it was fantastic to score this victory on Ducati’s home track after a very challenging weekend. This morning I realized that we could do it and, even though I was worried about the performance of the tyres, I decided to push right from the start, in my usual style, and everything went perfectly. I couldn’t ask for anything more and we will have to celebrate this win in a big way. I haven’t managed to win a race for a long time and I did it my way. I’ve been through some difficult moments but I’ve always believed I could do it, I could see that every time we were closer and closer and in the end we did it!”

Mugello MotoGP - Jorge Lorenzo — Mugello MotoGP – Jorge Lorenzo

Andrea Dovizioso – P2

“To tell the truth I expected more than a second place today, but in the end we found that the conditions were hotter in the race than yesterday and so we had a few doubts about the choice of front tyre. Rossi and I made a cautionary selection, opting to fit the harder tyre, but unfortunately it didn’t work well. Valentino almost crashed a couple of times in front of me and when I tried to push to catch Jorge, I wasn’t fast enough in corner entry and as a result through the corners as well. In addition I used up the rear tyre and at the end of the race I also had to manage this problem. In any case we scored a good second place and reduced the gap to Marquez in the standings. I want to congratulate Jorge, who did a superb race and was very good and precise in managing the tyres to perfection.”

Mugello MotoGP - Andrea Dovizioso — Mugello MotoGP – Andrea Dovizioso

Valentino Rossi – P3

“It was a very tough race because we had to start with the harder front tyre, which we knew wouldn‘t provide a lot of grip, so the race was very difficult. I tried not to make any mistakes, which was hard, and I also tried not to lose contact with the podium contenders. In my group the guys were riding on the softer tyre, so I hoped I would have a little bit more grip than them at the end. In fact, it was exactly like this, so I‘m very happy, because the podium was the target for me. It remained difficult to secure it until the very last lap, because Iannone didn‘t give up, but at the end it‘s a great feeling here in Mugello.”

Andrea Iannone – P4

“I tried my best, but for sure I had hoped to finish this race on the podium. In any case, we struggled with the rear tyre because the track was really hot so we lost out on acceleration, especially on the straight. So it’s very difficult to make up the lost time in the corners. But anyway, I’m really happy about the race, I pushed a lot from the beginning, but half way through I reduced my pace to allow the tyres to recover a bit. I knew the last part of the race would be really important and I tried my best at the end, 4th is a good result and we hope to improve in some areas so we can be consistently at the top.”

Alex Rins – P5

“I’m really happy because I didn’t expect this result, yesterday I had a very bad crash and I hit my shoulder and lost strength. During the race I also struggled with it but I tried to keep my focus and think about the race and not about my shoulder, and I’m really happy with this 5th position. I took a lot of experience from this race, I managed it well with the high temperatures and the lack of grip on the front. I think we gave our best, we worked really well together with the team. Tomorrow I’ll have some more checks at the hospital and then try to recover for the Montmelo Grand Prix.”

Mugello MotoGP - Alex Rins leading Rossi and Iannone — Mugello MotoGP – Alex Rins leading Rossi and Iannone

Cal Crutchlow – P6

TBC

Cal Crutchlow - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Cal Crutchlow – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Danilo Petrucci – P7

“I’m very sorry for the way things went. I started off very well from the second row but Marquez pushed me out of the circuit. If I have to be honest I’m very angry because we worked very well during the week end. I had to push hard to recover”.

Danilo Petrucci chasing Andrea Iannone and Valentino Rossi - Mugello 2018 — Danilo Petrucci chasing Andrea Iannone and Valentino Rossi – Mugello 2018

Maverick Vinales – P8

“The race wasn‘t as I expected it would be after FP4. In the warm up I got a different feeling from the bike than during the race. I lost the front almost in every corner in the first laps. That was a shame, because after that I was one of the faster riders on the track after lap 10. Finally, I destroyed the front tyre and I couldn‘t be on the podium, but I tried my best, like always.”

Maverick Vinales - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Maverick Vinales – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Álvaro Bautista – P9

“I’m happy because the gap to the first and second placed riders was the lowest of the season so far. We had a pretty hard race. I tried to give one hundred percent all the time, and when I saw on the first few laps that Maverick Viñales was close to me, in front of me, I thought about sticking with him – because in the second half of the race he would be very consistent and fast. We fought our way back, catching the podium group little by little and there were a couple of occasions in which I tried to pass to Viñales, but I almost fell on one of them. Now it’s time to focus on improving on Saturdays, in qualifying, because starting from higher up is easier.”

Alvaro Bautista - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Alvaro Bautista – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Johann Zarco – P10

“Overall, Mugello has been difficult. All the weekend, especially from Saturday we were struggling a lot and also in the race, I was not able to find a really good feeling. Anyway, I finished the race and tried to take home as many points as possible. I have the feeling, that we didn’t work perfectly this weekend and I just aim to forget this round. The next GP is Barcelona, where we did a great job during the test, so I want to gain my usual good sensations back, because it was not normal to struggle like that here and simply not being able to ride the bike comfortably. I was fighting in every corner and this gave me a hard time. I’m disappointed and just look forward to find my smile again.”

Johann Zarco - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Johann Zarco – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Pol Espargaro – P11

“Overall I think we struggled a bit this weekend and we were a second away from the rhythm of the top group. We had a better race than some others and 11th position is not bad at all and has become ‘our’ position in the last races; I don’t think we did a bad job today but we need to ask for more and we’ll see how we can improve. Hopefully Barcelona will be a bit easier and more fun for us because it looks like we were cruising here and we didn’t get the chance to fight with the others. I was adjusting my throttle in the first laps and changing the maps to avoid spinning. In Barcelona I think we can get something else, and it will be interesting with the new asphalt that might have more grip. It will be similar to here with the sun and the heat so it will be physical.”

Pol Espargaro - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Pol Espargaro – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Hafizh Syahrin – P12

“That was a tough race in very hot conditions. Thank you very much to the team. I’m very happy, because in the beginning of the race I was struggling a bit to find the grip, as after the Moto2 race it was different to FP3 and FP4. I tried to push a lot and have to admit, that I was surprised that the KTM was so fast and therefore, it was difficult to pass them on the straight. I was losing time on the straight and tried to push in the corners and on the brake. This race, I felt that I used all my energy while trying to get close and trying to be in front of Morbidelli. In the end, I wanted to pass Rabat as I was full motivated to make a good race here. It was not easy, but I made it in the last corner. I’ll try to continue to work hard on my body and hope to have even more power for the next race.”

Syahrin - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Syahrin – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Tito Rabat – P13

“First and foremost, I am happy that I scored two points here, when it would have been easy to stay at home after my crash at Barcelona. However, after doing so well in qualifying yesterday, I sincerely hoped to finish higher up. But in the race, the front tyre felt as if I was skating on ice. The track conditions had changed dramatically and with the rise in temperatures, we all suffered a lot. I struggled to adapt to these conditions. I rode with the handbrake on, so to speak, and we finished the race 22 seconds behind the winner. Now I am thinking of the next race at Montmeló, my home Grand Prix, where I hope to be able to fight for positions within the front group of riders again.”

Tito Rabat - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Tito Rabat – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Bradley Smith – P14

“I loved that race; 22/23 laps in the mix. I pretty much turned myself inside-out to stay in that group for tenth in the first part of the race but then told myself to be smart and to learn something as we went along. It was nice when we were just two KTMs but then Aleix (Espargaro) joined us and upset the rhythm a little bit and he was super-strong in some areas and weak in others. The front tyre pressure went up more than expected and that affected us in areas. (Tito) Rabat dive-bombed me with two laps to go and put me super-wide and (Hafizh) Syahrin was able to get by. I was trying to attack on the last lap and we all came across the line in the same tenth of a second. It was frustrating not to be twelfth – that should have been the minimum today – but to be there fighting with all those guys is more than I expected going into the race. It meant we extracted the best from the bike and gave everything we could.”

Bradley Smith - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Bradley Smith – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Franco Morbidelli – P15

TBC

Marc Marquez – P16

“We’ve been struggling the whole weekend to be perfectly comfortable with these particular spec tyres, but I wasn’t suffering that much in the race today. Instead, the front folded quite unexpectedly, as I wasn’t pushing that hard, and I crashed, though I almost saved it! When I re-joined the race, our pace wasn’t bad at all, despite the bike being a bit damaged, so that’s okay. Furthermore, we still have a 23-point advantage in the rankings, and this is also very positive; last year at this point we were 37 points back. Today also demonstrates what I’ve been saying for a while: things this year are pretty tight, the season is long, and anything can happen. That said, we’ll keep working as usual at Montmelò, where we’ll go back to the usual tyre spec, and we’ll try and come back strong.”

Xavier Simeon – P17

“I started very well and I made up four positions, but after four or five laps, the problems with my rear tyre began. The rear end would step out every time I cut the gas and I was close to crashing on four or five occasions. Apart from that, I concentrated on trying to keep the pace, but the race was tough and felt especially long, because I was riding by myself for most of the time. The warm-up session this morning was positive and we made some changes that helped me to ride more comfortably in the race. But I am not satisfied. I want to fight higher up in the field, so we have to continue to work.”

Xavier Simeon found himself fighting with Marc Marquez - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Xavier Simeon found himself fighting with Marc Marquez – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Dani Pedrosa – DNF

“It was a very difficult weekend, as we’ve had many problems getting a good feeling here at Mugello. Only in this morning’s warm-up were we able to find a setup that gave me better confidence. Unfortunately, I was starting very far back on the grid, and that often increases the risks. I was aiming to recover some ground at the start, and I did pass some riders but found myself parallel to Nakagami when unfortunately I slightly touched Bautista’s rear tyre and crashed, taking “Taka” out. I’m really sorry for that. It’s also a shame I didn’t have the chance to see how the setup changes worked or how many positions I would be able to recover in the race, but we’ll try to improve in the next race.”

Jack Miller – DNF

“I’m very disappointed. The feeling was always very positive throughout the weekend and I think we made the right choice with the medium rear tyre. I think I could have competed well but that didn’t happen this time. I have learnt a lesson. It will be different in Barcelona.”

Aleix Espargaro – DNF

“I knew from the start that it would be a hard race, but I started well and immediately recovered some positions. Around the tenth lap, I began to feel that the rear tyre wasn’t working right. I had very little grip and I risked crashing a couple of times going into corners with the throttle closed. Lap after lap, things got worse until they were bad enough to force me to box. What happened was very strange. We’ll analyse the tyre to figure out the source of the problem. This was an important weekend where, unlike other occasions, we were never able to be competitive. I am still convinced that the potential of the RS-GP is not what we have seen so far. Rather than forget this weekend, we need to study the data well to find what didn’t work right during these three days.”

Scott Redding – DNF

“The weekend ended in the worst possible way. On the last turn of the first lap, Abraham crashed out. His bike hit me and took me down. I was thrown from the bike rather violently, so much that I had the wind knocked out of me when I hit the ground. I have a few other bruises too and hopefully there won’t be any lasting consequences.”

Scott Redding - Mugello MotoGP 2018 — Scott Redding – Mugello MotoGP 2018

Karel Abraham – DNF

“It’s been a tough weekend for me. I feel still sick and not fully fit. I think we were more than capable of scoring points today but we had a very small crash on the last corner. I lost the rear end, but I was not pushing too hard, nor was I leaning in at an excessive angle. Maybe it was a touch by Redding on my wheel and that’s why I went down at the same point as him. We will analyse the data to find out what happened.”

Claudio Domenicali – CEO of Ducati Motor Holding

“I’m very happy for Jorge’s victory because he is an extraordinary guy who until today had never really been able to demonstrate his great talent on a Ducati. Today we saw the real Lorenzo: the guys in the team were very good at finding an ideal combination and he knew how to interpret it for the best. Jorge ran a great race in his own style, one of those in which no one stands a chance. I’m also pleased about Andrea’s second place, because with this fantastic 1-2 win at Mugello we have scored our best-ever result on the Tuscany track. Our two factory bikes ahead of everybody is just reward for all the work of everyone in the factory and in Ducati Corse, and in general of the whole of Ducati which is making an extraordinary effort to grow even further, and I think that this great day is also payback for more difficult races like the last two GPs.”

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“Above all, I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who works in Ducati Corse and who with their efforts have contributed to the extraordinary success of Jorge and Andrea here at Mugello. I would like to have them all here with us, to be able to give them a big hug and share this incredible result with them.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“Today the tyre choice played a big part in the outcome of the Italian GP. We had to start the race with the harder spec because of the expected tyre degradation, but we knew this wouldn‘t be the option that provided the riders with the most grip. The tyre decisions didn‘t pay off until the latter part of the race. Nevertheless, Valentino managed his tyres well, whilst at the same time doing a great job staying within podium contention. This allowed him to make his move when the harder tyres gave him the edge over his rivals and secure an important second consecutive third place. Maverick had a difficult start to the race. He suffered from a lack of grip and was pushed down the order. Once the harder tyres started working, he was posting consistent 1‘48s and he was able to close the gap to the front group, but by then there wasn‘t enough tyre left for him to challenge the riders in front. Though it wasn’t the perfect weekend we set out for, we can still be satisfied that we decreased the gap to our rivals in the riders‘ and constructors‘ championship and reclaimed first place in the team standings. We will continue to work hard at the next GP to pile on the pressure.”

Valentino Rossi was very pleased with his podium

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“It was a good race and a good fight for the podium. With Andrea we maybe expected a bit more because he was very fast all weekend in all the sessions, so it was a pity we couldn’t get the podium. But Alex struggled a lot with pain in his shoulder this morning so we are surprised with his good performance. I’m very happy about today and the results for both riders was good. We hope to challenge for the podium in Catalunya.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“We are happy about today’s race, we were in the main fight throughout the race and then fighting for the podium at the end. Staying close to the top is what we have to do, fighting with the others and taking opportunities when they come. So we want to thank and congratulate Andrea and Alex for their performances today. Andrea probably wanted more as we are in Mugello, and he tried very, very hard. Alex had pain after yesterday’s crash, but I like how he responded to this set-back; he kept his head down and kept pushing anyway. So I’m really happy for both riders. This type of race allows both us and the riders to learn more and improve, and we go to Barcelona next which is Alex’s home race and a good track.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 Yamaha Team Manager

“What a MotoGP race! They gave us an incredible show, but at the same time it was difficult for Monster Yamaha Tech3. Anyway, all through the weekend we knew that it’s going to be a tough race and, in the end, it was like this. I think Johann did the best he could, salvaged some important points in the championship to remain in contact with the top, only eight points from second, so everything is still possible. It was very important to score here after the big disappointment of Le Mans but it is also for sure disappointing to have never been in a position, where we could fight for a top 5, so we have to try to come out of it with a positive feeling. The Barcelona test was very, very good, so we go there full of optimism. We saw that from one race to another, the change of results is unbelievable, like Lorenzo, who was almost nowhere from the beginning of the year and then got this dominant win here. I want to congratulate him for this. So, it’s a very open season and difficult to understand, which gives us some good hopes that we can turn our fortunes in the next races and be back at least in the top 5. The other side of the garage is a much more positive and a much happier team, because I think Hafizh did an amazing weekend. He was fast every day and never gave up. As usual, he kept his head down and climbed up to 12thposition, one more time best rookie of the race, plus he got his top spot in the rookie championship back. We are very proud of him. The pass he did on Rabat was very impressive, especially as we know how much down on speed we were to the Ducati and he’s been really riding with his head and his heart. I’d like to congratulate him and the whole #55 team, because he is doing it outside of the media attention, but we are working, progressing and Hafizh is becoming a very strong MotoGP rider. We just can’t wait for the next race!”

Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager

“The weekend started in a difficult way for us, especially because the other teams had tested here when we preferred to use Jerez. We had a lot of pressure in the first sessions to find a setting that allowed a good race pace for the guys. Last year we were fifty seconds away from the winner and this time it was down to twenty and just fourteen to the podium. You don’t get 11th as a present; you have to fight for that. Bradley was also in the points. We are happy and we know we need to keep pushing to close this gap more and more.”

Romano Albesiano – Aprilia Racing Manager

“This was not an easy weekend. The layout of this track, with a lot of fast chicanes, highlighted one of the areas where we know the RS-GP needs to improve, namely going into turns without touching the brakes or the throttle. Despite this, and also considering a start from the back of the grid due to an episode that occurred in practice, we were just outside the top ten with Aleix. Unfortunately, we were stopped by a problem with the rear tyre, which we will analyse now. It’s a pity. So far various problems have happened to us, so I hope that we’ll be able to reverse the trend as soon as possible.”

Fausto Gresini – Aprilia Team Manager

“Aleix rode a more than respectable race, with a pace that was not far off that of the leaders, but he was forced to stop because of a tyre problem Even a race placement would have been a just reward for the entire team that had to tackle a difficult weekend, but instead we had a double zero in the end that is really disappointing to us because it is undeserved, given the fact that Scott also ended up involved in an accident by no fault of his own.”