While Marc Márquez totally dominated at home, Andrea Dovizioso made a great comeback, Valentino Rossi and Fabio Quartararo were a little disappointed, Aleix Espargaró obtained his best result since the start of the season by placing his Aprilia in seventh position under the Checkered flag.
Congratulations :
“My congratulations go to his performance at Andrea Dovizioso, in this race which overall was not super interesting. Dovi started tenth and finished second, he really had a great race from A to Z.”
“It's a circuit that allows for a lot of overtaking thanks – it must be said the truth – to the Ducati's engine which makes overtaking even easier. Dovi really had a great race. There is Márquez. It's sure who is above the rest. And then there is this famous Dovizioso who is still there all the time, except at the previous Grand Prix where it was a struggle. But otherwise he is omnipresent and deserves his second place in the World Championship. »
Roll of honor :
“It's for Márquez, for whom it's starting to be difficult to find words because of his strength, in his head and on the bike. He is able to manage everything well from departure to arrival, to plan things well. For me it is impossible to predict exactly and precisely what will happen, whereas he knows from his tests, from the feeling he has with the bike and the tires, how he should plan his race. Frankly, it's wonderful to hear him explain that, and I don't think he's talking nonsense, that that's really what's happening. »
Encouragement:
“My encouragement goes to Fabio (Quartararo) who once again had a great Grand Prix, after having done his best last week at Misano. He got off to a very good start, and it was the first time he had such a good start because he was immediately second. »
“He’s good, he’s in the rhythm. He shouldn't get discouraged because when he gets passed by the Ducatis down the stretch, it can't be much fun. This can only encourage him to make a mistake the next time he brakes, because when they pass him it almost looks like he's on a Moto3, exaggerating a little. »
“As a rider, I know that when you're on the bike, it's the kind of annoying thing and it can quickly lead to a mistake. In any case he has proven once again that he knows how to have the necessary patience and that he is gaining as much experience as possible to truly be a great driver, which he already is. »
Can do better :
" I think about Valentino Rossi because frankly we can see that it’s getting hard. At least that's what I feel when I watch his race. We can see that he is not really comfortable, that during the Aragón event he is not able to perform like the other Yamaha riders. Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo, who took a small step forward. »
“It's a shame because he managed to get by during the qualifiers, where sometimes he had problems, which meant that he reversed the trend a little compared to what he was capable of doing Before. He managed to do not too bad in qualifying, but had more difficulty in the race. »
“It’s a bit hard to see that, there’s something that must be bothering him. I think he's really going to have to find the motivation to perform better than he currently is. »
The highlight:
“It doesn't come from a driver, but – even if it's not very nice to say it – from a manufacturer. The notable fact is that all the Yamahas were dropped on the straight by the Ducatis. I'm surprised that Yamaha doesn't react, but it's a bit like the regulations that want it too since the engines are frozen for the whole season. »
“But here they really have to find something because it is enormously penalizing for a driver. And it looks like it's only on sixth grade. When the driver shifts to sixth, it seems that he lacks the horsepower to go faster. »
“They get blown up by the Ducatis and the Hondas. The only one that shouldn't pass them so easily must be the Suz. That was really the highlight. »
The pleasant surprise:
« Aleix Espargaró really had a great Grand Prix on his Aprilia. He got off to a good start, as he often does because he is very aggressive and manages to start well, then sneak up to grab places in the first laps. »
“He managed to keep the pace well during the first half of the race. Afterwards it got a little worse, which was normal because he was forcing a lot. The Aprilia is not yet at the level of the best motorcycles, but it is progressing. Aleix Espargaró managed his race well to finish in a good seventh place. »
“Aprilia still needs to improve to be ahead of Suzuki – which was the case at this Grand Prix – but overall for the year Suzuki is clearly ahead having won two Grands Prix this season. »
The overall score of the Grand Prix:
“I would say 9,9 out of 20, if not 10, because it wasn't very interesting. There wasn't a lot of overtaking, apart from on the straight. There was Rins' percussion on Morbidelli, but it's not something very beautiful in my eyes. In the end, it wasn't a very spectacular Grand Prix, and I hope the next one will be much more spectacular. »
Photos © Ducati, Aprilia, Petronas SRT and Repsol Media
