After replacing the injured Andrea Iannone in a hurry, Pirro had to go through Q1 but did very well, setting the fifth fastest time in Q2 ahead of his teammate Andrea Dovizioso. His start lacked explosiveness compared to the regulars in the Championship, but he nonetheless obtained a good seventh place in the final.
Ninth at the end of the first lap, the official Ducati test rider managed to overtake Alex Espargaro during the seventh loop, then Cal Crutchlow during the twenty-third. He then lined up the regular laps to finally cross the finish line three seconds behind Dovizioso, and five in front Espargaro Pol et Cal Crutchlow.
Michele Pirro explained his Grand Prix this way : “I lost too much time at the start today: losing three or four seconds early makes things all the more difficult, but it's not easy to quickly find the right technique to get off to a good start when you only participate in MotoGP from time to time like I do.
“In the race, I managed to be completely consistent and I didn't finish too far behind my teammate. I want to thank Ducati for everything, because it's been a great weekend: yesterday I was fifth in qualifying, this morning third in the warm up and today in the leading group in the race . I also want to wish Andrea Iannone a speedy recovery and tell him that today I took care of his motorcycle, and that in Aragon he will find it in the same condition as he left it! »
