As long as the last San Marino Grand Prix took place on the dry track of Misano, many considered Dani Pedrosa like the man to beat. It is true that he won last year after a race marked by good tire management. The same rubber, aptly named “Misano”, a special front medium, which Michelin had once again provided for this thirteenth meeting of the season. Advantaged for Marc Márquez’s teammate? Some made it clear, starting with Cal Crutchlow. But the rain came, and Pedrosa sank.
At the finish of the San Marino Grand Prix, Dani Pedrosa first responded to these remarks of supposed favoritism for the occasion: “ physically stronger riders always have better sensations in these rainy conditions. They may complain when it's dry. But for this race, no one came to tell you that, this time, I was at a disadvantage. And we see that this disadvantage in the wet is much more serious than any advantage I would have in the dry. ».
He explains this delicate equation: “ I can't change my body shape. The fact is that in these conditions, I cannot get the tire up to its minimum operating temperature. And from there, nothing is possible. The suspensions don't work, I can't accelerate properly, it's a chain reaction. I initially lapped in 1'54 because I had no grip. I almost fell at every turn ».
« I gritted my teeth. And there is no point in trying to heat the tires with the accelerator because the Michelin must be heated up regularly. It can be used when it has reached a minimum level of operation. But I couldn't reach it. But when the track dried, the tires finally warmed up and suddenly I found myself able to do 1'49 and 1'48 ».
As soon as it rains, therefore, we will not be able to count on Dani Pedrosa. In Misano he painfully finished fourteenth and here he is still fifth in the championnat with 49 points behind the leading duo Márquez-Dovizioso. Five Grands Prix from the end of hostilities.
#SanMarinoGP MotoGP J.3: Ranking
| 1 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 50'41.565 |
| 2 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +1.192 |
| 3 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | +11.706 |
| 4 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +16.559 |
| 5 | 51 | Michael PIRRO | Ducati | +19.499 |
| 6 | 43 | Jack Miller | Honda | +24.882 |
| 7 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Ducati | +33.872 |
| 8 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | +34.662 |
| 9 | 94 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha | +54.082 |
| 10 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | +57.964 |
| 11 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | + 1'00.440 |
| 12 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | + 1'17.356 |
| 13 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | + 1'35.588 |
| 14 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | + 1'38.857 |
| 15 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | + 2'02.212 |
| 16 | 76 | Loris BAZ | Ducati | 1 tour |
| 17 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1 tour |
| Unclassified | ||||
| 53 | Tito RABAT | Honda | 9 tours | |
| 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 12 tours | |
| 22 | Sam LOWES | Aprilia | 13 tours | |
| 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 15 tours | |
| 8 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | 17 tours | |
| 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 22 tours |
