Behind Valentino during the final laps at Assen, Petrucci had planned to pass him on acceleration coming out of Turn 12, where the Ducati had an advantage. But the presence of Hector Barbera and Alex Rins who were one lap away prevented him from using the trajectories he had envisaged.
“On the penultimate lap I found Barbera who didn't give me room and Rins in turn 6. We touched each other and almost fell. I shouldn't say it, but in the Security Commission the Spaniards are always bothering us with the rules, and they are the first to not follow them. The marshals didn't show the blue flags, that's true, and I also know that Alex looked for me to apologize, but when you go so slow on wet tires you have to be careful.
“In the dry, Valentino was faster than me, but in these conditions I could attack him. I had already done it 4 laps from the end coming out of turn 12. At this point, the Ducati accelerated better. I had everything ready, then the castle collapsed. I found myself 3 or 4 tenths behind Rossi. I got closer, but couldn't attack him.
“At the end of the day, it was a great result for me, but I really saw victory close. Just like Saturday during qualifying, there is always something that hurts me. But in recent races, I have always been in the lead and that is important. In the past I felt fast but the results weren't coming, whereas lately I've been able to be there almost every time.
“I'm happy to have improved my race management, because everyone said I wasn't used to being at the front. When you're up against the best, who have won races and world championships, which I never did, then staying with them is pretty satisfying.
“And without these two breakdowns during the first races, I could be even better placed. But we're only halfway through the season and I'm on the right track. The Ducati is proving to be the bike in better shape and my Desmosedici is very similar to the ones Dovi and Jorge had. However, in MotoGP, every tenth makes a difference. This Sunday, losing 5 seconds in 26 laps meant being out of the podium. This means that you cannot make mistakes.
“With Ducati I feel like I'm part of a company. There's a lot of me in this bike. After Barcelona I went to Borgo Panigale to celebrate and felt like part of a strong project. Andrea, Jorge and I are three fast drivers and I am happy with the work we are doing.
“Last year at the German Grand Prix, I had my best qualifying in the dry, but I made a mistake in the race. In Assen my Ducati stopped because of the humidity and in Germany I wanted to humiliate everyone. This year, at the Sachsenring, I could even try to win. »
Photo © Pramac Racing
