The Suzuki rider unfortunately did not end his team's home weekend in the best possible way, but is very motivated for Phillip Island.
Andrea Iannone wanted to achieve a good performance in Japan to honor Suzuki whose headquarters are located near the Motegi circuit. Throughout the weekend he placed himself at the forefront. We found him sixth on the first day, then ninth in FP3 and third in FP4. He then qualified in fifth position, so the signals were green for the race.
Despite a bad start, the Italian driver managed to get back into the Top 5 and position himself near the leading group. Riding with his teammate Álex Rins who finally finished on the podium, he could also hope to get on top, unfortunately he made a mistake ten laps from the end.
Iannone, however, did not return too disappointed and is now focusing on the next Grand Prix which will take place next weekend in Australia, on a circuit which has often been successful for him: “Unfortunately I didn't get the best start, but I was able to come back quickly by attacking hard. I then started to feel vibrations at the rear and had difficulty braking but I was able to overcome this to continue pushing. I had more difficulty braking in turn 10 and I lost the front. I gave everything in this race and I think the podium was also possible for me, but unfortunately this kind of thing can happen. I'm really optimistic about Phillip Island, it's a place I love! »
Japanese Grand Prix, Motegi, MotoGP J.3: Ranking
1 93 Marc MARQUEZ Honda 42'36.438
2 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda +1.573
3 42 Alex RINS Suzuki +1.720
4 46 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha +6.413
5 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA Ducati +6.919
6 5 Johann ZARCO Yamaha +8.024
7 25 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha +13.330
8 26 Dani PEDROSA Honda +15.582
9 9 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati +20.584
10 55 Hafizh SYAHRIN Yamaha +24.985
11 21 Franco MORBIDELLI Honda +25.931
12 38 Bradley SMITH KTM +26.875
13 44 Pol ESPARGARO KTM +27.069
14 89 Katsuyuki NAKASUGA Yamaha +32.550
15 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda +37.718
16 10 Xavier SIMEON Ducati +39.583
17 81 Jordi TORRES Ducati +39.839
18 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati +42.698
19 45 Scott REDDING Aprilia +49.943
20 12 Thomas LUTHI Honda +52.707
21 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI Suzuki +1'01.848
Not Classified
29 Andrea IANNONE Suzuki 10 Laps
17 Karel ABRAHAM Ducati 12 Laps
43 Jack MILLER Ducati 14 Laps
41 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 18 Laps
