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MotoGP, Petrucci: "Marquez? He passed with his elbow on the ground where Miller fell."

Danilo takes the blame: "Unfortunately, we followed the wrong strategy. It's as if it hadn't rained for Marc today in qualifying."

MotoGP: Petrucci: "Marquez? He passed with his elbow on the ground where Miller fell."

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In these particularly insidious conditions, we expected something more from someone like Danilo Petrucci. Instead, the rider from Terni had to settle for an eighth fastest time in qualifying and was left with a bitter aftertaste. A performance that the Ducati standard-bearer can't fathom.

"This was definitely not my objective," he said. "I was aiming to start in the top five. In the end, I managed to be quite fast on Saturday, but the situation changed in the qualifying session. I started first in qualifying to take advantage of the wet track, but I was too aggressive. In fact, the tires were hot on the second lap, and my lap wasn't perfect lap."

Petrucci then explains in detail.

"So I decided to go back in, and the team told me that many were opting for the slicks. I saw Marc on the track, and I couldn't figure out how he was able to find a dry track. Jack also used the dry tires and ended up falling. I also tried to mount them, but I only had two laps available, and it was useless."

So the Ducati rider takes the blame.

"We followed the wrong strategy but, besides this, I still aim to fight for the top five. We'll be trying to fight for a third position in the Championship. Vinales is dangerous on a wet track, so we'll evaluate how we should behave."

His mind is, therefore, focused on Sunday.

"Since yesterday, the track wasn't in good condition. In fact, I couldn't go fast on the flying lap. Yesterday, I was not happy with the bike. Today, we were able to understand a bit more with the rain. Like I said, we'll see what happens tomorrow, even if Brno is a strange track. In 2017, it was as if the asphalt wouldn't dry. Instead, the situation changed quickly."

He also focuses on the competition.

"I saw Rins was fast with the soft, but so was Vinales. The choice of tires will be important, and we'll also try to evaluate the hard tire on the rear. The World Championship? Personally, I'd like to finish in the top three, even if a second place isn't that bad," he said jokingly. "Dovi is fighting, and yesterday he proved to be faster than me. I also saw that Vinales was very competitive and, like I said, I'm not ignoring Rins. On Sunday, however, we expect different conditions, which we have to carefully evaluate."

Danilo's attention then shifts to Marquez's performance.

"It seemed like it wasn't t raining for him. He got the strategy right, bringing the tires up to temperature. Given the gap, I think there's very little to say. He's the favorite, but I want to fight for the top five, so we have to give it our all."

In conclusion, the rider from Terni glorifies Marquez's potential.

"I was able to follow him. He was on the third lap, while I on my first. As soon as I tried to push, I risked falling where Miller fell. While he passed with his elbow on the ground on that stretch. That worries me because he's always there up front in any condition. You never see him finish eighth. When you're fighting for the World Championship with someone like him, it's difficult.”

Audio recorded by Paolo Scalera

Translated by Leila Myftija
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