Petrucci, exhausted on his return to MotoGP in Thailand

October 1, 2022

Buriram.- The Italian, winner of a Dakar stage and several races this year in MotoAmerica, arrived almost by surprise in Thailand to replace the injured Joan Mir at the Suzuki handlebars. As expected, with no experience with this bike and almost a year without getting on a MotoGP bike, Danilo Petrucci finished last in the standings and will start at the back of the grid.

“You have to understand the bike to understand the fast lap. This morning I followed Alex Rins, but he has a very different line. On this bike, everything happens in the corner,” he explained at the end of the day.

Petrucci is excited about the bike and the opportunity, but everything is happening too fast for him, even the rivals.

“These guys are in a big hurry, they don’t give me time to learn the bike. Obviously everything gets complicated in qualifying,” he justified his times.

Petrux concentrated to put in a good lap and manage to climb some position on the grid, but he couldn’t do it.

“I did one lap by myself, I thought it was the perfect lap, but then I realized I was a bit lacking,” he admitted.

Tiredness from driving, seasoned by suffocating heat and humidity, are leaving the rider from Terni exhausted.

“I’m physically devastated. But they tell me that, with this bike, whoever gets tired can go fast. And if that’s the case, I’ll win the race,” he joked.

The former Ducati and KTM is aware that he is a substitute at Suzuki, who has not managed to do the honors. “I did not want to screw up,” he said so that it is understood that he did not attack thoroughly.

“In Superbikes, the forces are different. The braking is not as strong as with MotoGP, nor are the accelerations as beastly. I chose the worst circuit to come back to,” he resigned himself.

Jack Miller, Ducati Team, Marc Márquez, Repsol Honda Team, Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Danilo Petrucci, Alex Rins, Suzuki MotoGP Team, riders waiting for a trailer