MotoGP, Petrucci: Lots of problems in the race. Picked up valuable points

He wasn’t the best Ducati rider over the line, but in spite of that, Danilo Petrucci filed away his Argentinian weekend with a smile. The fourth spot on the grid may have raised hopes for a bit more, but number 9 had talked about the top-8 after qualifying in anticipation of today, and his seventh place finish confirmed his expectations.

“At the beginning my situation was good –Danilo explained – but already after a few laps, the warning light came on that I was consuming too much fuel, so I had to switch to a less powerful map. I struggled to stay ahead of Pedrosa and Zarco, but in any case I was able to battle. However, in the second half of the race, after they overtook me, I could not get any traction whatsoever so even I don’t know how I managed to fend off Folger’s attack, because I was losing about a second a lap.”

The Italian rider therefore had to deal with various problems, including an unrewarding tyre selection.

“I chose the tyre compound without really knowing how it would perform. In the first half of the race it worked, but in the second half the medium on the rear limited me. It’s okay like this anyway. I picked up some valuable points and now I am already focusing on Austin.”