Taking stock of this British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Petrucci and Rossi, two drivers who will leave the scene at the end of this season, opened up about the new era they are facing. And to which they are not adapted. Petrux told the Doctor about it. If the one who thinks of the Dakar on a KTM insists on the new mentality of the peloton, the future father, for his part, does not budge on the Michelin subject…
Danilo Petrucci can be happy with his performance Silverstone during a twelfth round of a championship MotoGP which he will leave at the end of the year. The pilot Tech3 KTM finished tenth, which is worse than his teammate lecuona who crossed the finish line sixth. But it's not the same generation and in any case Petrux already has his head in the bivouac in the middle of the desert, contemplating the immensity alone at the top of a dune with a KTM... For him, this new MotoGP does not is more for him.
He says thus: “ the fact is that in today's MotoGP you could only make a film about what happens in the first lap. In this situation you can really see the madness of the drivers, it seems that now it's like it's the last lap of the race. But the fact is that at that moment you don't know what the conditions are like on the bike, on the track. You have a full tank, the tires are not yet fully up to temperature. But that's what hurts drivers like me the most, who have been racing for a long time. ».
« The young ones go in like it's the last chance and all kinds of things happen. I also spoke about it with Valentino Rossi a few races ago. He first waited a few laps to sort everything out and then attacked. Now, however, from the first round, they all start as if it were a qualifying round ". And he ends: “ riders who come from Moto2 and Moto3 are surely much more aggressive today ».
Rossi: “I had a fall in the rear tire as if it was “burning”
Exactly, what do you think? Red who is competing with at least a third generation in his 26th Grand Prix season? He is rather Michelin that he thinks… “ In practice, I was quite fast, I had a good feeling and a good rhythm. In the race, I had to start with the medium tire given the temperature, but the hard tire would have been better for us. But today it was very cold. I expected to have problems but not like the ones I had. I started well, I was in the group where I expected to be, around 7/8 position, but after 5/6 laps the tire had an incredible fall and I no longer had any grip. I lost performance, 1/2/3 seconds per lap. It's a real shame because I wanted a good result in a circuit that I love and in front of my fans ».
« Unfortunately, since 2019, this type of problem has happened to me several times and we have not been able to resolve it. After 7/8 laps, I had a crash in the rear tire as if it was “burning”. We've made changes to the settings and also to the riding style, how to use gas and more. Today I saw a lot of drivers because we had a good start but then they all overtook me and I don't feel like I was driving any differently from them. We are sad, it's a shame because I am competitive on certain tracks in practice and then in the race I am unable to materialize. Sunday always comes with a question mark. I'm sorry ».
He nevertheless consoles himself with the news of the arrival of a new teammate who is not unknown: “ I'm happy that Dovizioso is coming. We have a good relationship, he is a fast driver and we have fought together in the past. I'm happy he's coming back to the championship ". But Dovi will also have to discover the charms of this ruthless new generation…
MotoGP Silverstone J3: standings
Credit classification motogp.com
