The Sachsenring race could have been a photocopy of Assen. The third step of the podium seemed like it was in the bag for Scott Redding, but Dovizioso’s pass forced him to settle for fourth.
A result that leaves a bit of a bitter taste.
"If someone had told me yesterday that I would finish fourth, I wouldn’t have believed it. Of course, I’m disappointed that I missed the podium for the second round in a row, but I am happy with this race. I made a mistake at the beginning, but I felt good on the bike and I started making up positions.”
What about the choice of tyres?
“I could not have done it differently. There is no communication with the team during the race and that makes everything difficult. Then when I went back onto the track it still wasn’t dry enough for slicks. I’d like to thank the entire team for the great job they did.”
The wet is his preferred terrain. Danilo Petrucci started from the fourth spot on the grid, but a few turns later he had managed to shoot into the lead astride his Pramac Ducati. The rider from Umbria got a taste of an escape, but the crash conditioned his Sunday.
In the initial laps he demonstrated a superior pace with the hard tyre.
“It was fantastic to be out front. We had decided to mount the hard front tyre and it was the right choice, partly because the track started to dry off after a few laps. I was the only one in the leading group with that tyre and Marquez and Redding, who had made the same choice, were struggling.”
Then came the crash.
“I was trying to manage, although I had already taken a big risk. Then I lost the front without any warning. I’m very sorry for the team who did a brilliant job. We were very fast even in the dry and I would have liked to have raced in those conditions.”
What is the most encouraging thing for you about this weekend?
“In any case, I must say that we are leaving this weekend with great confidence. We are on the right path and we need to keep going in this direction.”