Le Grand Prix of France will have been for Casa Particular in Viñales his third victory in five Grands Prix contested this year. A regularity of success which logically makes the Yamaha rider the leader of the championnat before approaching Italy on June 4. At Le Mans, he knocked out his identified direct opponents, Rossi and Márquez. But he discovered another: Dani Pedrosa.
The same Dani Pedrosa had revealed himself before the French campaign near Jerez where he had dominated the Spanish Grand Prix starting from pole position, snatched, eye to eye, from his formidable teammate Marc Marquez. The fact of the season for the Honda official? We could have believed it until the Sunday of the Sarthe race. Because until then, the same Pedrosa had been more than discreet. With a position of thirteenth on the Bugatti starting grid.
A flash in the pan, we thought then on the subject of the RC213V stamped with the 26. But no, the embers were still smoldering and it was indeed a fiery Grand Prix that Dani offered himself. With a third place up for grabs and big points. In summary, here he is second in the provisional general, 17 lengths behind Casa Particular in Viñales, having taken full advantage of the missteps of Red and Marquez
A situation that Yamaha’s latest recruit cannot ignore: “ he had an incredible race. I'm the type of driver who pays attention to the signs along the pits and I've seen his progress. He really did a good job. He revealed himself during FP4, we drove a few laps together, and I could see that he was strong. He confirmed in the race. In Jerez, he showed that he was in the running for the title. We'll have to watch out for him. If we end up fighting together, it will probably be nice ».
Clearly, it will be necessary to Marc Márquez quickly put the Honda house in order. To start, he will have to make up for his ten points gap on his teammate…
