During this post-race conference of the San Marino Grand Prix which also brought together Marc Marquez (see here) and Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci answered various questions from journalists after coming close to his first victory in MotoGP.
As usual, in order to avoid any abusive journalistic interpretation, we offer you a “raw” translation of the entirety of the words of Marc Marquez , without any formatting.
You had done the hardest part and were very close to your first victory in MotoGP. Are the feelings mixed?
Danilo Petrucci : " Yes. The feelings are very mixed because of course I'm happy to be on the podium again in Italy, my third podium of the year, but I led the race for I don't know how many laps. I was quite worried because, since this morning, we knew that the track was very slippery, especially in certain corners. When I was in the lead, after Jorge crashed, I said to myself “OK, let’s see what happens”. I tried to attack many times but with 8 laps to go, I took a very big risk at turn #6 and I said to myself “OK, maybe Marc will overtake me” but then two minutes, I knew Marc was too smart to stay in the lead and set the pace. I thought about letting him pass to set the pace but he had been very strong during the Warm up and I was afraid of losing him. So I tried to stay in the lead throughout the race and I pushed when there were two laps left. But on the penultimate lap, he made a great last turn and overtook me in turn #1. I then tried to pass it again at turn #4 because it was a bit wide, but I lost steering and my bike stayed upright only because I'm very tall and I tried to stay upright with the knee. On the last lap he was wide in all the corners and I said to myself “Okay, now I’m going inside.”. And he was further away. “Now I try to go inside”. And he was further and further away… (laughs). So I said to myself “don’t think and attack” but he did an incredible last ride. So yes, I'm a little sad for this second place but I have no regrets because I tried throughout the race. He had an incredible last lap so he deserves this victory today. »
On the last lap, when you saw that you couldn't overtake Marc, did you not think about leaving second place to Andrea?
“I must be sincere; I thought about it and hoped Andrea would be close. But I think Andrea will be able to fight without my help this time. Maybe I will be happier to be more important for him in the next races. I thought about it, but I tried to pass Marc again until the third sector, because I saw him taking a lot of risks and I said to myself "OK, maybe he will widen in a corner and I 'I'll try to get him inside', but he made no mistake. But above all I don't think it's a good image for the championship to give up a position in the last lap. We're all fighting for something here. Of course, I said since Thursday that I wanted to help Dovi for the championship, but if I let him pass in the last corner, I don't know if it's a good image for the championship. I don't know. »
When you were leading, could you go a little faster and create a gap with Marc?
“No, honestly, when I was leading the race, I wasn't attacking a lot but I think all the drivers weren't attacking a lot because the track conditions were very difficult today. So I just tried to stay on my wheels and be as fast as possible, but I knew Marc is extremely strong. I just tried to stay on my feet and hoped Dovi could be with us. But then I tried to win the race and Dovi was a little too far away, so I tried three or four times to attack during the race to create a gap with Marc, because I knew he was very very strong during the last lap. It was not possible to create a gap. In fact, yes, I didn't attack throughout the race but it was limited to stay on my wheels. It was very difficult to stay on your wheels today. »
Have you thought about doing a flag to flag race?
" No no. At no moment. Today it was very cold. I was behind Marc when he made a sign and I was hoping he would come in (laughs). But I think the track will only dry tomorrow because it was cold. Yes it was drying but there were some extremely wet areas with lots of water in some parts. So, under no circumstances did I consider a flag to flag race. »
Can we compare today's race to Mugello and Silverstone in 2015?
“It’s always different. Today was similar to Assen. I tried to control the race and at Assen I took some risks on the last lap but I wasn't in a position to even try to win. This time there was no problem, apart from Marc. So yes, I'm a little sad because I could have won my first race, but Marc was stronger so I have no regrets. But of course, I am very close to victory. It was difficult to lead the race today in these conditions, especially with Marc still behind. Yes, maybe it's a good podium. I always say that the best of my races is the next one, so I will try again in Aragon. »
Aside from the last lap, your pace was very close to Marc. What did you feel?
“Like I told you, the most important thing was to try to stay upright. I was very strong at the start of the race when there was a lot of water, maybe my weight helped me a little more with traction. But I think I used the rear tire a little too much during the first part of the race. It was difficult because I knew he could attack me during the race since leading a race like that is difficult. I thought maybe he was thinking about the championship, but no (laughs). I really hoped that he was thinking about the championship and that he wouldn't attack me. I tried to attack many times and looked at the giant screen, but there was always a maximum gap of six or seven tenths. Even if I was attacking, he was able to close the gap, and honestly, it's not the best situation to have to overtake him on the last lap, but it was the only chance. I don't know, if I had let him pass (before), if we would have arrived with only a second gap. »
#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 towers | |
| 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 12 towers | |
| 22 | Sam LOWES | Aprilia | 13 towers | |
| 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 15 towers | |
| 8 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | 17 towers | |
| 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 22 towers |
Photo credit : MotoGP.com
