Movistar Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi felt that the race at Mugello circuit would be difficult for him, and that was indeed the case. Ten days after his heavy motocross crash, the Italian rider could not reach the goal he set for his national Grand Prix and he left another local rider the honoring of sounding Italian national anthem, contenting himself for the fourth place.
However, Rossi took an ideal start, leaping from the front row to lunge into San Donato with a few meters ahead of his rivals, enough to excite the yellow hills of Mugello. During four laps, it would have been before a race of Moto3, with changes of leaders and incessant overtaking, a frantic pace that the Doctor contributed to a large part to fuel.
Rossi was defeated by his team-mate Maverick in the fourth lap and then gave way to the winner, Andrea Dovizioso, while maintaining his lead in the top three. But Danilo Petrucci did not leave his wheel and still ha the reserve, to the point of surpassing him to nine laps of the finish.
“Of course, it’s really a pity for the podium, it’s always the goal and it’s even more important here in Mugello, in front of all the spectators,” Rossi told media. “Frankly, I was confident that I could do it, because I was fast enough during the tests, but in my heart I knew 23 laps would be difficult. Four or five laps during testing, you can recover, but doing everything in a row is more difficult.
“At eight laps of the finish, I was already finished and I started to suffer more. When riding this bike without being 100 per cent everything becomes more difficult in the movements. I tried not to give up and stay behind Petrucci, but unfortunately I was not strong enough to attack him.” he added.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso crosses the finish line to win the Italian Grand Prix. (Source:www.topshot.com)
Despite his disappointment, Rossi was delighted with the victory of Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and the Danilo Petrucci. “I was really disappointed that someone chipped me on the podium, but Petrucci disappoints me a little less, because he’s my friend, and then made a huge race, he deserved.” Rossi said.
“Today, the Ducati very good, they’re able to use the medium rear tyre, we Yamaha, we had to use the hard and we had perhaps a little less grip, the podium came from my physical conditions because I could not do a little more in the last laps.” he added.
