Quotes from all MotoGP men after Silverstone
Maverick Viñales – P1
“This victory has been really emotional, my first in MotoGP and also the first for Suzuki since 2007. I felt I was in a good condition and that here we had the potential, but until the race ends you can never know. The team did an absolutely great job, improving the bike since the last races and also in the whole weekend. After the first start I felt really confident and I thought I had a margin to keep ahead, and this gave me the needed confidence to do it again after the second start. My feeling with the machine was perfect, I tried to push hard at the beginning to take advantage and then I just controlled the race. After the last races we felt we had the potential and finally we proved that the job we are doing is really in the right direction.”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“Today’s race was perfect. In the last three races we have been someway stressed because we felt we couldn’t achieve the results we deserved, because of some troubles with the weather conditions, we knew we had the potential and today’s result is the evidence that we were right. This came from a perfect job of the rider and the team and the engineers at home; they all gave their best and this allowed us to achieve this result. Also Aleix did a very good race, he finished in seventh and after the tough races he has had recently, it is a good result.”
Cal Crutchlow – P2
“It was great to be a part of that battle today and really entertain the British crowd. I want to thank the LCR team and Honda for all the hard work they have put in in these recent weeks. We started the year with a few crashes, and problems with the bike, but it shows that all the hard work has paid off. In the race I felt I gave as good as I got, it was a good battle with Marc and Valentino and I also want to say congratulations to Maverick because he controlled the race and did a superb job. Four new winners in the last four MotoGP races is something unique. To stand on the podium in front of my home fans is pretty special and I’m really proud to do so. I feel in great shape at the moment and in good form and I hope that Misano can be another good race, although we know it will be difficult as it hasn’t been the best place for me or Honda in recent years. It won’t stop me trying and I will do so again next week.”
Valentino Rossi – P3
“For the championship these are just three points but I‘m very happy because it was a hard battle. I fought for the entire race and never gave up. Unfortunately, after eight or nine laps, I started to slide a lot on the rear, so it was very difficult to control the bike, but at the end it was very funny with Marc and Crutchlow and I‘m very happy with this podium. It was a great race and a great battle, a double battle because at the beginning of the race and also at the end it was great. I enjoyed it a lot and I‘m so happy with this podium, because I knew I had to fight from the first corner to the last to arrive in front. On the dry we weren‘t so strong. We knew we would struggle with the tyres in the second half of the race and in fact it was like this. It was a great battle with Marquez and also with Crutchlow and Iannone. I tried to the maximum and arrived on the podium. It‘s not very important for the points in the championship but very important for me and for the team. I have some black on me from Marquez‘s tyres, because we touched two or three times. The battle was good but hard, fair and I enjoyed it a lot. When you try at the end to fight for the podium, between Marquez and me, it‘s always difficult, but it was a very good battle and I want to see it on television.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director
Today has been a gamble race. We started the race with tyre choice and set-ups that we couldn‘t try before due to the wet FP4 and warm-up. Some of our decisions paid off and some didn‘t. We had a red flag situation after one lap and then we had a second start with the quick starting procedure. The race has been a very close battle, with some hot action between Vale, Marc, Iannone and Crutchlow, that we all enjoyed a lot. After a good start, Vale managed the degradation of the rear tyre very well until the end and he scored another important podium that gives him a good motivation for his upcoming home race. Jorge had a difficult race and suffered from big vibrations and a lack of grip from the rear throughout since the beginning. He handled the situation as well as he could to end the race in eighth place. Now we will have four days off before the next FP1 in Misano, the team‘s second home race of the season.
Marc Marquez -P4
“Today was one of those difficult Sundays because there were many ways of approaching the race, with many options for both the front and rear tyres. Perhaps we got it wrong with the front, because we chose the soft tyre, but that was what we thought was best before the race. I realised the mistake once the race was underway, and from there I decided to make the most of the situation. It’s a pity that I went wide under braking when fighting for second place, but in the end we rectified the situation quite well. We finished fourth and only lost three points from our overall advantage, which is what matters to us.”
Dani Pedrosa – P5
“Overall it was a challenging weekend because of the track conditions. It has always been cold, sometimes with rain included, and we’ve never had any sun. It was hard to get a good feel for the tyres because there was no rubber laid down on the asphalt. I chose the soft-soft combination and I knew that I would have some issues in the final laps, but all in all I think it was the best choice at the moment. The good news is we’ve taken a step forward in terms of results and have regained a little more confidence, especially entering the corners. There are still some things that we need to improve, but we had a decent race and set some more-reasonable times. We’ll try to take the positives from here and work on the rest for the next race.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P6
“After powering away well at the first start, I wasn’t able to repeat it the second time around and was left a little bit behind, so I lost touch with the leading group. I had to push hard to try and close the gap, but I wasn’t able to ride well: half-way through I began to have a problem with my right forearm and from that moment onwards my race turned into an ordeal. I feel bad for the team, today we could surely have got a better result, but I was just unable to push hard enough. I almost crashed a number of times just trying to stay in sixth place, because I was struggling to keep the bike under control. It was a pity, because judging by the pace of the guys in front of me, we could have had a chance of fighting for second place.”
Aleix Espargaró – P7
“Finally I could end the race and we finished not that far from the leaders. We still need to work hard to make further improvements, being patient and working step by step. At the same time, I’m really happy for my team-mate Maverick and to see the Suzuki on the top-step of the podium, it’s incredible the evolution that we have made in the last 20 months after our comeback to MotoGP, and this whole Suzuki family deserves this result; we will continue fighting to achieve better results also before the end of the season.”
Jorge Lorenzo – P8
“It‘s been a difficult weekend, because we couldn‘t find a good set-up that made me comfortable with the bike. We tried a different setting in the race that we couldn‘t test in the warm-up, so we gambled a bit on the setting and it didn‘t work. I could see the second group there in front of me but I couldn‘t catch them. All of a sudden I felt the bike was vibrating a lot, so I had to close the throttle and relieve the pace and I couldn‘t keep up the pace I had at the start of the race.”
Danilo Petrucci – P9
“We managed to finish in the top 10 and it is good. Finally, the circuits where I have more difficulties are finished and I am looking forward to going to Misano, a track that I see from my window. I wanted to catch Lorenzo but he was too far away. I thank the whole team for the work they have done in this GP. We have not given up, we are very united and it is great to work with them.”
Alvaro Bautista – P10
“There was quite a bit of confusion at the first start. Fortunately, both Pol and Loris are fine. At the second start, I tried to find my pace. We struggled throughout the weekend, but I know that in duels with the other riders I would be able to improve. That is the way it was. I recovered a few positions, battling for a long time then with Hernandez. When I overtook him, I changed an electronics setting on the RS-GP to gain a few tenths and increase the gap. I was successful, thanks to the team and the mechanics who worked hard to give me the best possible bike. I am looking forward to Misano optimistically. Aprilia is on their home pitch, so I hope to give the fans a good performance”.
Romano Albesiano – Aprilia Racing Team Manager
“Alvaro rode a good race today, considering the difficulties we had in practice and his starting position. As often happens, the RS-GP showed good performance in terms of pace, especially in the second part of the race. Where we are lacking mainly at the moment is the ability to take maximum advantage of the tyre, both in the initial laps and in qualifying. It’s a pity about Stefan’s crash. He had chosen a different from tyre that would probably have been beneficial in the race, given his good sensations. Now we will go to Misano, where we will be able to have a good weekend”.
Yonny Hernández – P11
“The key today was the changes we made after the problems yesterday with the engine. We came to the conclusion that we needed an entirely different engine mapping and it improved a lot, my feeling came back and I could ride like I need to. I am happy because this is a step forward and we are more consistent. I think that if we keep going like this we can have a great race at Misano. I want to say thanks to the team because after a difficult weekend and a lot of hard work it is nice to return to the points.”
Eugene Laverty – P12
“On the first start, the clutch felt really good off the line, I was fifth into turn one then got past Pedrosa for fourth and then Cal for third. When I passed Rossi for second I thought “this is going pretty good”! A corner later the red flag came out, unfortunately, so I had to do it all again. The clutch didn’t feel the same on the second start and then I got hit by a few guys including Iannone in the first corners. I also got locked together with Lorenzo. That sent me backwards and then Bradl collided with me when he crashed. Thankfully I didn’t go down too but it damaged the rear of the bike and that was it for my race. I had to stick my hand in there and pull the rear mud guard out, which isn’t nice with the chain and everything else in there spinning around! It was tough after that but we kept going and picked up four championship points.”
Alex Lowes – P13
“Overall I have to be pleased with how the weekend has ended and I really learnt a lot in my first MotoGP experience, which I thought was amazing. The ever changing weather conditions made things a bit trickier at this event, and this was even more of a challenge for me because any condition would have been tough as it was my debut on the YZR-M1. With regards to the race itself, it was the first time that I ran with a full fuel load and also the first time that I completed more than six laps in a row. Therefore, of course, the learning curve was steep and it was tough. In the first few laps, I locked the front whilst braking a few times which made me lose a bit of confidence, but after that, I tried to understand the changing behaviour of the bike regarding the fuel and tyre life. I also watched the guys around me and I learnt a lot. In the end, I finished 40 seconds back from the leader and 20 from Lorenzo in my first GP race, which is positive, but the main objective was to reach the flag and I also claimed a few points. I feel that I could have ridden better, but maybe I am being a bit too negative on myself. Plus, I didn’t know what to expect here so I shouldn’t be harsh for not understanding everything immediately. However, I am a racer! Now I have a few days to digest what has happened so that I can be stronger in San Marino. I have to give a special thanks to the whole Tech3 team who did a great job this weekend and I am thankful for the chance.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 Yamaha Team manager
“It was a memorable day in MotoGP and we were treated to a highly entertaining race at Silverstone. For us, we were very worried when the GP began because there was a high-speed crash, which looked nasty. We could see that the bike flew into the air, and before the television cameras showed that Pol was ok and moving, we were really scared. Thank God that Pol is completely ok. He couldn’t restart the race, but the most important thing is that he is not injured, and he is fully fit for Misano. On the other side of the pit box, Alex did a great job. He learnt a lot, rode a strong race and passed some regular MotoGP riders. He is not entirely happy because he wanted more, but I consider this a good thing because he is hungry for success. We were hoping that he could score one point, but in the end, he got three, so altogether, it was a solid performance. I would like to thank him for his efforts and also Yamaha for letting him ride for Monster Yamaha Tech3. Italy is going to be another adventure for Alex because he wants to be closer to the mid-pack and we think he can do it. I also want to tell him that he made no mistakes, he learnt a lot in both the dry and the wet so he is almost a complete MotoGP rider. Now, we have a few days off to rest before Misano, but we are all excited for the next challenge.”
Hector Barbera – P14
“This weekend was a complete disaster. It was one of the most difficult weekends of my career. I was not comfortable riding the bike, I had no feeling and as a consequence, I never found the right confidence to push. Silverstone is a circuit with a lot of grip and I don’t know if it is my riding style or whatever else it could be that I never felt comfortable. I can neither learn nor take any other positive experiences with me from this Grand Prix. The race was also mentally tiring, because if you ride in such a poor way, the result is a disaster as well. We all had a frightening moment with Loris and the most important thing today is that he is okay!”
Tito Rabat – P15
“This weekend has been one of the most difficult of my career. I have found it very difficult to go fast at this fast and technical track but as always I will look to take the positives out of it and I finished the last three races in the points. I felt we have made some progress when it was not easy to do so with all the changeable weather and now I go to Misano looking forward to being more competitive. It is one of my favourite tracks and my goal will be to finish inside the points again.”
Jack Miller – P16
“Today’s race was a difficult one for me and the biggest issue I had was with the rear tyre. I had a really good start in both races and I felt really comfortable in the opening laps. But after about five laps I started to have some issues with grip on the right side of the rear tyre. I was just out there doing laps for the remainder of the race and making sure I didn’t take any risks to avoid crashing. It was impossible for me to fight with anybody and I was happy to get in 19 laps on the bike after a difficult time with injuries. But I am disappointed because I’m sure I could have picked up some important points today.”
Michael Bartholemy – Team Principal
“It was a difficult weekend in every way here at Silverstone. Tito struggled to find a good feeling with the bike in practice and qualifying, while Jack was returning from injury and, while we knew the back was a problem, it turned out that he had an additional fracture in his hand that caused some issues. But even so, Jack was in a good position at the start of the race, but dropped back after having problems with the right hand side of the rear tyre. It was a shame he wasn’t rewarded for his effort this weekend with points. Tito did score a point, and better one than nothing, but I hope both riders are in better condition when we arrive is Misano next week.”
Scott Redding – P17
“It is a pity. I started very well in the first race. In the second race, something has changed, I felt I had less feeling. I crashed without any warning from the bike. It can happen. I am sorry it happened here. But never give up! I continued till the end, even though it was not easy, even to thank my fans who have supported me lap by lap.”
Loris Baz – DNF
“Up until the race, this weekend had gone quite well. I was very confident for the race and the crash was a really pity because I could have done well. When I arrived at the second turn, I was running parallel with Pol and just about to overtake him, but then the guys in front of us braked very early, especially Petrucci. I pulled over to the right a bit in order to avoid a collision, but Pol entered the turn from the outside and we touched. After banging into him, I don’t remember a lot of what happened. I woke just before getting into the ambulance. I don’t remember the crash itself, but the consequences could have obviously been worse because it looks pretty bad. I have a sprain in the foot that I was operated on, but they did an X-ray and I there is nothing broken, even though it hurts when I put pressure on the foot. The most important thing is that Pol, who also doesn’t have any fractures, and myself are all right. It was a race incident that shouldn’t have happened, but this corner is quite narrow. I don’t think I did anything stupid!”
Andrea Iannone – DNF
“I’m very disappointed because I was having a great race and we surely had a chance to finish on the podium. Unfortunately just before the mid-point of the race, I began to have fatigue in my right forearm and I was no longer able to control the bike perfectly, which caused me a lot of problems. I really had to struggle a lot, but I didn’t want to stop because for me this situation was difficult to accept. When I arrived at turn 17 on the fourteenth lap, I was late in changing direction, hit a bump and crashed because I just didn’t have the strength to control the bike. It’s a real shame, because today we could have scored a very good result.”
Pol Espargaro – DNF
“I can’t say a lot about today because it was over before it really got going for me. In the first lap, I felt a strong impact from behind me at the first corner. I started to roll on the floor and then both my bike and Loris’ bike hit me. On one hand, I have to say that this incident was really bad luck, but then again, to be completely honest, the past few races have not gone exactly to plan. On the other hand, I have to be pleased that nothing worse happened. I must admit that I am feeling a lot of pain all over, and especially in my right tibia but this is not something that I am overly worried about and I am sure that with some relaxation and massages, I will be fine. I’m always a bit nervous when I start from quite far back on the grid because it’s dangerous and the accident today confirmed this. However, I missed the entrance to QP2 by one tenth and I paid a high price in qualifying when it rained which cost me even more in the race today. Having said that, I have to be happy that I am more or less ok after that hard crash and even though we have another GP in the next few days, I will be a lot better in Misano where I am confident that my luck will change and things will be a lot better.”
Stefan Bradl – DNF
“I’m very disappointed because today my feeling on the bike was good. While I was fighting with some guys, Laverty gave me no space to turn, basically making me crash. As I said it’s disappointing, all we can do now is think about Aprilia’s home race in Misano”.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin
“Today was a very good race and we would like to congratulate Maverick Viñales on his first win. We have not had an easy weekend here at Silverstone with all the different weather, it has been warm, cold, wet, damp and dry, with some wind there as well, but our tyres have coped well in all conditions so we are pleased with the performance over the weekend. During the dry practice sessions a number of riders went under the lap-record, so that was very encouraging and today’s race lap-times were very competitive. That is despite the cold track and the heavy rain yesterday which made the track very slick again as it washed away any rubber that had already been laid down over the weekend. It was not easy for us or the teams to make the correct choice today, as dry track time had been very limited, but at the end it worked out very good as we used two different compounds on the different bikes front and rear and they all performed well. We will now head straight to Italy and Misano. There it is a very demanding track, but we will look to continue with the impressive performances we have had recently, despite all the different weather in the last few races ̶ hopefully we can have a whole weekend of warm sunshine on the Italian coast.”
