For Jonas Folger, this Czech Republic Grand Prix will have been one of lost opportunities. And he is not responsible for it. During qualifying, his dashboard had been incorrectly adjusted and gave him false information about the time remaining to set his time. Result: a better time in Q.1 even though he had already taken the checkered flag. And therefore a missed opportunity. For the race, it was worse: the German stopped at the same time as the winner Márquez, but…
But rather than leaving with a motorcycle equipped with slick, he took a motorcycle with rain tires... He was therefore obliged to do a lap like this and return to the pit to take a machine equipped properly... Estimated lost time, 25s and given the gaps on the finish line, we can very well conclude that Folger missed his second podium after the one taken in Germany. Or even better…
« Someone accidentally put rain tires on the bike in the pit »Comments Folger. “ From the start, despite a good takeoff, I was uncomfortable with the bike, I lacked grip. I realized that the track was drying quickly and I decided in the last sector to return to the pits. I wanted to take the risk, it was dry enough and when I saw that Márquez was also coming in, I was happy to see that such a strong rider was doing the same thing and that I was going to ride with him ».
« Then I felt something was wrong and had to come back to the pit. Back on the track, I had good feelings with the bike, better than the previous days, I no longer had any problems with the front. Given the circumstances, I didn't think I would finish in the top 10, so I'm happy ».
Against bad luck, Folger so be kind hearted… The boss Hervé Poncharal apologizes: “The big turning point in the race for the Tech3 team was when Jonas came into the box and the bike with the slick tires was not ready. He therefore had to do yet another lap, which undermined any hope of fighting for a good position. I was even more disappointed when I saw the times he ran, because his pace was fast, and I don't want to talk about what could have been, but if you look at his times, then he would have been in the leading group and it would have definitely been a podium. I am really unhappy with this situation. I can only apologize to Jonas and the German fans".
#CzechGP MotoGP Race: Ranking compiled by our friends at crash.net
1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 44m 15.974s
2. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 44m 28.412s
3. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 44m 34.109s
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 44m 36.440s
5. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 44m 36.866s
6. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 39.233s
7. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 40.053s
8. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 44m 46.533s
9. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 44m 46.728s
10. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 49.210s
11. Alex Rins ESP Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 44m 49.264s
12. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 50.569s
13. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar (Desmosedici GP15) 44m 50.671s
14. Jack Miller AUS EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 44m 54.036s
15. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 56.074s
16. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac (Desmosedici GP16) 45m 0.350s
17. Tito Rabat ESP EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 45m 1.428s
18. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 45m 9.950s
19. Andrea Iannone ITA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 45m 39.320s
20. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia (Desmosedici GP16) +1 lap
Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) DNF
Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia (Desmosedici GP15) DNF
Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar (Desmosedici GP16) DNF
