At a time when rumors are constantly calling for the return of Jorge Lorenzo to Ducati, it would have been desirable to offer a solid overall performance on a Red Bull Ring track where the red tunics have never been defeated . A disappointment which risks happening precisely this year, since Dovizioso will be alone in front of the Marc Márquez monument. Monument? Yes, because Petrucci followed the Honda hit in 93 and here are the conclusions of the man who will only start twelfth after a fall at the crucial moment of qualifying...
Ducati has never been so vulnerable on its favorite Austrian terrain as this year. Unfortunate in a season which was supposed to bring the title… Dovizioso will start third, not only behind Márquez, but also behind Quarterly. However, he is still on the first line. And his teammate? Petrucci camped in the fourth row, with this remark which sets the tone: “ unfortunately, Marc Márquez will not be my problem on Sunday ».
So here is Petrux 12e at the end of a Grand Prix Brno qualified as the worst of its current season. In FP3 and FP4 his pace was pretty good, but with the mild afternoon temperatures he lost grip in the corners. “ I chose the medium front tire, but I didn't get the grip I expected. When I released the brake, the front wheel came off and I fell ».
And now ? “ The place on the grid is far from good " has followed Danilo Petrucci. " This can only motivate me. It will be difficult to reach the podium, but my pace should be enough for the top 5 ». Marc Márquez won his 59th pole position, overtaking Mick doohan. “ Marc does a good job, his pace is better than ours » greeted the Terni pilot.
An admission coming from a precise observation: “ I covered two laps behind him in FP4, but I wasn't fast enough and I took two or three tenths of a second on each lap. I tried to stay with him, but he had more. At least now we know what we need for our motorcycle and we can work on it. We are good at the brakes. But Marquez gains speed in the corners, which is impossible for us. Not even if we use the hard front tire with which the bike is very stable when braking ". Close the ban!
MotoGP Austria Red Bull Ring J2: times
| 1 | 93 | Marc MÁRQUEZ | Honda | 1'23.027 | ||
| 2 | 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 1'23.461 | 0.434 | 0.434 |
| 3 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'23.515 | 0.488 | 0.054 |
| 4 | 12 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'23.523 | 0.496 | 0.008 |
| 5 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'23.652 | 0.625 | 0.129 |
| 6 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'23.669 | 0.642 | 0.017 |
| 7 | 42 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 1'23.681 | 0.654 | 0.012 |
| 8 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'23.688 | 0.661 | 0.007 |
| 9 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'23.754 | 0.727 | 0.066 |
| 10 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'23.817 | 0.790 | 0.063 |
| 11 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARÓ | KTM | 1'23.866 | 0.839 | 0.049 |
| 12 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'23.964 | 0.937 | 0.098 |
| Q1 Results: | ||||||
| Q2 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'23.829 | ||
| Q2 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'23.928 | 0.099 | 0.099 |
| 13 | 88 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 1'24.130 | 0.301 | 0.202 |
| 14 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 1'24.270 | 0.441 | 0.140 |
| 15 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 1'24.389 | 0.560 | 0.119 |
| 16 | 5 | johann zarco | KTM | 1'24.392 | 0.563 | 0.003 |
| 17 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'24.423 | 0.594 | 0.031 |
| 18 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia | 1'24.526 | 0.697 | 0.103 |
| 19 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARÓ | Aprilia | 1'24.749 | 0.920 | 0.223 |
| 20 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM | 1'24.759 | 0.930 | 0.010 |
| 21 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | Honda | 1'25.020 | 1.191 | 0.261 |
