After a long wait due to numerous television interviews, the first three drivers of this 2016 French Grand Prix presented themselves in the conference room to debrief their race and answer questions from journalists.
As usual and to avoid any approximate interpretation of these, we exclusively offer you a “raw” translation of all of their responses, continuing with those of Valentino Rossi, after those of Jorge Lorenzo, Maverick Vinales, Dani Pedrosa et Marc Marquez.
Valentino Rossi: “When you start from the third row, from seventh place, and you arrive second, it's always excellent, it's always a good race. Especially because today these 20 points are really very important for the championship, because we were able to reduce the gap with the leader, who changed from Marquez to Lorenzo.
This weekend was quite difficult and we were a little late as we made a few mistakes, especially on Friday when we concentrated on using the tire that offered the least traction. In the end, the new Michelin tire improved this aspect and the problems were different; we had to focus on something else.
Yesterday I was already pretty competitive, it wasn't that bad, but unfortunately I made two mistakes during qualifying and I had to start from the third row, so starting from the third row you know that you have to fight from the start and it's more complicated.
The start was also not good, but luckily I didn't lose much time and was able to escape from the second group and did a few good laps. But, then, the situation was very tricky, perhaps because of a higher temperature, perhaps because of the rubber left by the Moto2; it was a little more difficult.
So I tried to stay focused to drive well and my bike being well balanced, I was able to get back on Marquez and Dovizioso. I think the good idea was to try to pass them as soon as possible and start from the front with a few good laps. Afterwards, Marquez and Dovi made their mistake, and so I was able to be a little more relaxed during the second part of the race.
But in the end, I’m very happy.”
We now arrive at Mugello…
“Yes, Mugello is fantastic. I love the circuit, the place and the atmosphere. But a home Grand Prix is always a bit special, more difficult compared to normal races; you have more things to do and more pressure. But we're going there in pretty good shape and our bike is very competitive. We will now just relax and try to arrive focused on Friday at Mugello.”
When Maverick came up on you at the end of the race, did you accelerate or were you relaxed?
“I made a big effort, especially during the first 10 torus, to get back on Marquez and Dovizioso. And I continued to attack for three or four laps when I was in front. I was then already five and a few seconds behind Lorenzo; I tried but it was already too late and I realized that, in any case, he had a very good rhythm. So I slowed down a little and tried to understand what advantage I had, because during the first laps, I only had the indication on the board that Marquez and Dovi had fallen. I saw Marquez on the big screen, but I didn't know about Dovi.
But when I saw that Maverick was 4 seconds away, I was more relaxed, but you can't slow down because after that it becomes more dangerous than going fast, you lose concentration when there were 10 laps left. TO DO. I tried to have a good pace without taking too many risks and to keep the same gap.”
Do you remember your first MotoGP podium and what can you say to Maverick?
“I think my first podium was in 1971 at Monza (laughs).
No, it was a long time ago, I think Jerez in 500cc. We started with three races outside Europe, and I was fast but I made a lot of mistakes, falls, etc. But when I came back to Jerez it was a very nice race, good memories, I think I finished second, maybe behind Roberts after fighting with Checa and maybe Biaggi, I don't think remember more. But it's something important. I think Maverick showed that he has the potential to be a very good MotoGP rider, in the future but also now. So I think it’s an important moment.”
We didn't see a lot of overtaking. Is this due to the arrival of Michelin?
“Today it wasn't so bad because I think I had to do 5 or 6 overtakes, and I enjoyed the race. I think it was a race very similar to those done with the Bridgestones. The start of the race is very important, but afterwards, some drivers are faster and, unfortunately for the spectacle, the gaps widen. It is true that everyone is working to have more fights during the races, with the electronics, with the tires, and it works well but unfortunately it is very similar to recent years. I also think that with the Michelins you have to be more precise and have more control when overtaking. Otherwise, it’s easier to make a mistake.”
There were a lot of falls today. Do you have any idea why?
“It's always a little more difficult during the race. But there are several elements that can create a difference, like the Moto2 race because in general the track is a little more slippery afterwards. Today it was quite warm, a little warmer than yesterday. And you have a full tank. And then, the race is the race; everyone tries their hardest and tries to give the extra 5% to come in front.”
Do you have any idea what happened to Dovizioso and Marquez?
“It was an important moment in the race, they were pushing as hard as possible and, in this corner, you are at the limit every lap because of the bumps. I think it's like what happened in Austin; Smith fell, and behind, there was the same fall. Maybe the guy behind loses his concentration and is surprised, but looking at the footage it looks like Marquez crashed just before, so… it’s just the same crash in the same corner.”
| Pos | Pile | Motorcycle | Country | PTS |
| 1 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | SPA | 90 |
| 2 | Marc Márquez | Honda | SPA | 85 |
| 3 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | ITA | 78 |
| 4 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | SPA | 53 |
| 5 | Maverick VIÑALES | Suzuki | SPA | 49 |
| 6 | Pol Espargaró | Yamaha | SPA | 47 |
| 7 | Aleix Espargaro | Suzuki | SPA | 42 |
| 8 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | SPA | 39 |
| 9 | Eugene LAVERTY | Ducati | IRL | 33 |
| 10 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | ITA | 25 |
| 11 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | ITA | 23 |
| 12 | Stefan BRADL | Aprilia | GER | 23 |
| 13 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Aprilia | SPA | 21 |
| 14 | Bradley SMITH | Yamaha | GBR | 20 |
| 15 | Scott REDDING | Ducati | GBR | 16 |
| 16 | Michael PIRRO | Ducati | ITA | 12 |
| 17 | Tito RABAT | Honda | SPA | 11 |
| 18 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | ITA | 9 |
| 19 | Loris BAZ | Ducati | FRA | 8 |
| 20 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | GBR | 5 |
| 21 | Yonny HERNANDEZ | Ducati | COL | 3 |
| 22 | Jack Miller | Honda | AUS | 2 |
