The first day of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello started very well for Michele Pirro, since the wildcard fielded by the Ducati – Aruba.it Racing team immediately took the lead in the first free practice session before concluding the first run in second position, behind Álex Márquez.
It must be said that the man could ride on the circuit with his eyes closed, not only thanks to the countless Italian Superbike championship events that he won on this track, but also to the numerous tests carried out for Ducati in MotoGP!
Unfortunately, when the drivers increased the pace by switching to the soft rear tires, the Apulian driver gradually slipped back to 11th place, just 0,06 seconds outside the top 10.
In the afternoon, the situation of number 51 deteriorated further since Michele Pirro finished almost a second from a top 10, it is true extremely close.
But achieving a performance is probably not the first intention of the Ducati test rider since we saw a hitherto unprecedented air intake on his Desmosedici...
In the end, the San Giovanni Rotondo driver finished this first day in 17th position and admitted to lacking a little confidence to get the last tenths.
Michele Pirro : " The day was rather positive. In FP1, I managed to push with confidence, almost reaching the top 10. I must admit, however, that in conditions of attacking the time, I lack a little confidence and the habit of comparing myself to the laps the fastest: two factors to which other drivers are rather accustomed. However, we still have room for improvement and we will work to take another step forward tomorrow. »
Combined P1 – P2 results from the MotoGP Italian Grand Prix at Mugello:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
