The Suzuki rider was somewhat manhandled during the Aragón Grand Prix, between an error and a penalty, but nevertheless gained a place in the championship.
If he was disappointed with his qualification yesterday, Alex Rins is even more so today, after having experienced a lively and complicated race. He who hoped to be able to come back and achieve a good result at the front finally had to settle for a ninth place at the finish, after a few adventures.
After a decent warmup in eighth position, the Spaniard started from 13th on the grid determined to move back into the peloton, but he was immediately involved in an incident with Franco Morbidelli on the first lap. Arriving a little too quickly on the Italian, Rins touched him and caused his fall, in addition to going out into the gravel and seeing one of his fins damaged by the contact.
Starting 19th again, he quickly climbed up to 12th place when the Race Direction decided to sanction him with a long lap for his involvement in Morbidelli's fall. Thanks to the gap he had opened up on his pursuers, he did not lose any place by taking his penalty, and was able to continue his comeback which was then not easy, particularly against Danilo Petrucci. The power of the Ducati actually gave the Suzuki a hard time on the straight, but Rins managed to have the last word and break away from the group led by the Italian.
The number 42 thus maintained its position and also recovered third place in the Championship. A good operation in the end, despite a difficult race. “First of all, I want to apologize to Franky for what happened” did he declare. “I went straight to him after the race to apologize. It's been a difficult day. I had a long lap penalty, which I completely accept, but then I had to try and fight through the pack. Anyway, a ninth position is not too bad considering everything that happened during the race. I need to progress in qualifications. We will see what happens in Thailand. »
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Photo credits: MotoGP.com
