#ItalianGP Race Danilo Petrucci “To get on this podium, I would have sold my house”

Finishing third in a dry Grand Prix for the driver of a satellite team is already fantastic. But doing it for an Italian at the Mugello Grand Prix on a Ducati is close to ecstasy. Danilo Petrucci experienced this happiness this Sunday afternoon in front of the fans, his family, his friends, and the entire staff of the Bolognese manufacturer, to the great joy also of Paolo Campinoti, the boss of Team Pramac thanks to whom Danilo was entrusted with a GP17 for this season.

This great joy followed black anger on Saturday, when Petrux was robbed of his second time in Q2. While he was celebrating his first row with his team, a communication from Race Direction announced that his time was canceled for having exceeded the limits of the route and that he would only start from the third row. To say that this press release was poorly received would be an understatement.

Danilo therefore started from ninth place on the grid, and immediately made a good start which allowed him to be in sixth position at the end of the first lap. He doubled Marc Marquezthen Jorge Lorenzo who had a Desmosedici identical to his own. He distanced the two Spaniards and gradually got closer to the leading group, then composed of Maverick Vinales, Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi.

He overtook Rossi without hesitation on the thirteenth lap, then passed Vinales during the next loop. Long in second position, he even seemed threatening to the leader Dovizioso, but the latter managed to keep a small gap. Vinales overtook Petrucci on the twentieth lap, and finally Danilo climbed onto the third step of the podium after a magnificent race. It was the second podium of his career, having finished second in the British Grand Prix in 2015.

For Danilo Petrucci, “ I can't believe what just happened. I was asked what I would give for a podium. I would sell my house! 

“I made a mistake at the start of the session on Saturday morning. I then told myself that the day was going to be difficult. Riding my second motorcycle, I fell again. Q1 was very complicated, but I felt comfortable in Q2. I know my starts are usually bad, but I finish my races pretty well.  

“When I found myself fourth, I was thinking of waiting until the last lap, but I still took the opportunity to pass Valentino. I got there and then focused on Maverick.

“After passing it, I only had Dovi left, but I had already kicked my tires too much. Viñales overtook me again. After which I made sure to secure a place on the podium. It's a great day for me!

“I apologize to Valentino, but it's racing, if I'm able to win then I'll take the opportunity. It was quite difficult to pass it, first of all. I expected it to be faster. He always gives more during the last laps. I was between 100% and 1%. I thought " you're on the podium, but first you have to finish the race ».

“So, with Valentino behind it, it’s never easy. I really gave everything I had. After Jerez, my boss Paolo Campinoti, the boss of Pramac, said that I had a good race, “ but in Mugello, you must give me a nice gift ". I asked where should I buy it? Then I discovered that it was not possible to buy a podium. I said : " I will finish the race in the first three ».

“The Ducati factory is 45 minutes from here. Our workshop is located in Sienna, it is less than an hour here, still in Tuscany. I live two hours from here, so this is our Grand Prix very much at home. There was a lot of pressure, but I was able to manage the whole weekend. It's incredible.

“I tried to win the race, but Dovi was stronger and he really wore me out. Even Maverick on the last lap… We have been fighting since 2015, my first year in MotoGP. It was his first year with Suzuki and we fought a lot. But in the end he still passed me on the last lap.

“During the whole race he was behind, and in the last two laps he passed me. I remember 2012 and my first Grand Prix at home, I started last on the grid. In five years, there have been big changes. »

You seem very moved, what is the importance of this podium?

“A podium at Mugello is always very special. For us even more, given that it is the main GP of Ducati and Pramac. It was also an emotional moment for me. It's the most beautiful day of my life. In the last laps I felt very alone because I had to forget all my thoughts, all the expectations, the tension, the pressure.

Did you expect such a result?

“After the warm up, the target was to finish in the top five. I knew the key was a good start and then the first few laps. I attacked a lot at the start to get back on Maverick, Dovizioso and Rossi. Once I had caught them, I tried to stay calm because I was at the limit. Then I saw that Valentino had slowed down his pace and I passed him.

“I caught Vinales, passed him, and tried to close the gap to Dovizioso but I felt it was really difficult. I knew Maverick would have attacked me. I tried to stay focused, calm and I did it. I think it's a very important result for my team and with Dovizioso also for Ducati.

Has frustration over the penalty during qualifying turned into motivation?

“Yes, I had put my wheels on the curbs several times, so I didn't expect to be penalized. The positive thing was that I knew I had the pace to fight with the guys in front.

This year you have a factory bike, but you are also a test rider. Is it a support or a handicap?

“Ducati gave me an important task and I knew I had to do this development work to have the GP17. The problem is that I struggled a lot. I did fewer kilometers than the others, I had a lot of things to test and it's hard when you have to stay in the garage for a long time. But despite the things to test, we were competitive. This podium is a great relief. After the podium at Silverstone, a lot of people thought I could only be strong on a wet track. I showed that with a good bike I could be competitive and stay in the lead.

What was your first thought at the finish line?

“I thought I was dreaming. I had to check the big screens several times to make sure this was all real. In addition, more than 100 friends came from my hometown to support me, and it was also a gift for them. I would like to thank Paolo Campinoti, the team owner, for believing in me, Francesco Guidotti, my team manager and friend, and Alberto Vergani, my manager."

Grand Prix Results :

1- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP

2- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.281

3- Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 2.334

4- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 3.685

5- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 5.802

6- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 5.885

7- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 13.205

8- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 14.393

9- Michele Pirro – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 14.880

10- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 15.502

11- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 22.004

12- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 24.952

13- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 28.160

14- Hector Barbera – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 30.676

15- Jack Miller – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 30.779

16- Karel Abraham – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 – + 42.306

17- Sylvain Guintoli – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 46.294

18- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 – + 50.731

19- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 50.740

20- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 50.897

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

1 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 105 points

2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 79

3 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 75

4 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 68

5 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 68

6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 64

7 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 46

8 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 42

9 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 41

10 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 40

11 Scott REDDING-Ducati 30

12 Jack MILLER-Honda 30

13 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 25

14 Andrea IANNONE-Suzuki 21

15 Loris BAZ-Ducati 19

 

Photos © Pramac Racing