Ducati had some reasons to smile about in this Australian GP, in a day of debuts for two riders aboard a Desmosedici: Johann Zarco won for the first time in MotoGP, and Fabio Di Giannantonio got his first podium in the class.

General Manager Ducati Corse at Ducati Motor Holding, Dall’Igna came to social media to make a few comments on the australian day, regarding the first day: ‘A strange race, concentrated as it was in the last two laps and heavily conditioned by tyre consumption. An exciting finale that ends with a thrilling all-Ducati podium order of arrival’.

He then didn’t miss the chance to praise Zarco’s first win ever in MotoGP, a win that came after the french, who has seven years in the class, got to reach the first position on the last lap of the main race: ‘We applaud Zarco’s first win in MotoGP, a well-deserved victory, the result of an exemplary conduct that showed all his talent. Congratulations to Pramac, once again proving their excellent team work and the skill of their riders’.

He extended such words towards DiGia: ‘The same applies to Team Gresini, whose Di Giannantonio managed to mount the podium for the first time in the top class, a rider that proved battle-hardened and determined as never before, protagonist among top performers in all recent races’.

O conteúdo Gigi Dall’Igna praised Zarco and Di Giannantonio’s results in Phillip Island in ‘a strange race’ where tyre consumption was crucial aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Miguel Oliveira was the top rider of CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team this weekend at the Australia GP, in a result that even surprised the team as the portuguese didn’t have the best feelings with the bike.

CryptoDATA’s RNF MotoGP Team Manager spoke of sunday at Australia, which had it’s Sprint race cancelled, at the same time he said it was good to antecipate the main race:

– Phillip Island finished early as the Sprint has been cancelled. Of course, it’s a good call to do the main Race on Saturday as it’s been raining cats and dogs on Sunday. I would have personally loved to see them going out, but there’s a lot of risk with the winglets, the fast speed of the MotoGP bikes and the carbon brakes would not get the temperature that they should have, so the decision was wise to stop the Sprint race from going ahead on sunday.

He them spoke of the team’s best rider on the only race that took place at Phillip Island: ‘The weekend has not been fantastic, Miguel struggled a lot to get a feeling with the bike, but he finished in P13 in the race yesterday [saturday] which was better than expected’.

O conteúdo Miguel Oliveira had a result in Australia that was ‘better than expected’, admitted Wilco Zeelenberg aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

This sunday of MotoGP came to a sudden end as the weather conditions forced the Race Direction to cancel the Sprint Race. A pity, as Massimo Meregalli told, but a needed action has ‘safety must be priority’, he assured.

Yamaha’s Team Director spoke of the decision to cancel the action on sunday, in regards to the Sprint race: ‘Of course, we are very disappointed for the fans who came to the circuit this sunday However, we knew this was a possible turn of events, which is why we held the Race on saturday’.

It was he decision the he also agreed with: ‘We do agree with the decision to cancel the Sprint in the afternoon. It is the right decision. The conditions were getting worse and worse, and safety must be the priority. We hope for better weather in Buriram!’.

O conteúdo ‘The conditions were getting worse and worse, and safety must be the priority’ – Massimo Meregalli aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jorge Martín has been one of the stars of this world championship and has even, albeit briefly, been in the lead. The rider spoke about his current condition and how this could be one of his best seasons.

The Pramac rider, who was once again under the spotlight during the main race of the Australian GP, spoke to DAZN about the lessons he learnt: ‘Here I learnt that when you’re fighting for a World Championship, which in the end is my first time in MotoGP, you have to ride with the weapons that your rivals have, especially if you’re stronger than them on this track, above all. And then in Indonesia, when the track is dirty, you don’t go out. Going to the black line, the black line without going out is, I think, what I’ve learnt’.

Although he was deprived of a chance to return to winning ways due to the cancellation of the Sprint race, Martín added that there are still many races ahead: ‘This year it will be or it won’t be, I’ll try my best, but at the end of the day these are lessons for the future. There’s a long way to go, but I’m going to try with everything I’ve got. Thailand is very good for me, and Malaysia, Qatar and Valencia, all four are very good, so I hope to make it’.

O conteúdo Martín doesn’t give up on the title: ‘There are four rounds to go, and they’re all very good, so I hope to make it’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

After the exchange of schedules of the sprint race with the long race, it was expected that the sprint race would be cancelled this sunday, after all forecasts pointed to very complicated conditions for the riders, and after a very complicated Moto2 race.

Still, the riders spoke to journalists and Raul Fernandez was one of the defenders of canceling today’s sprint, stating that the conditions were not met for the sprint to take place, despite the weather situation being stable in the warm up:

– In my case, I think they made the right decision, because this morning the track wasn’t so bad, the wind was stable. The problem was during the Moto2 race, the wind started to rise, it was too aggressive. You’ve seen a lot of crashes, so for me, they made a good decision.

The #25 of CryptoDATA RNF Aprilia also said that the change of schedules was unanimous between the riders, already anticipating that on sunday it would be impossible to race:

– That’s why (weather conditions) we tried everything to make the long race yesterday, because we knew there was a possibility that there wouldn’t be the sprint, it was in everybody’s mind, so it was a good decision.

O conteúdo ‘You saw a lot of crashes, so for me, they made a good decision’ – Raul Fernández aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Despite acknowledging that he wasn’t about to start the Sprint race in a good position, Fabio Quartararo was curious to see how he would perform in today’s race. The conditions weren’t the best, he admitted.

In a team statement the french rider said: ‘The weather conditions did not allow us to race today at Phillip Island, and that’s a pity because it’s a circuit that I really like, and I’m always very happy to be here. It’s true that this weekend we did not start in the best position for the Race, but I would have liked to be able to see our potential in the Sprint’.

He then assured that when he returns to the races he will give his best: ‘In any case, the weather conditions have not allowed it. I’m very sorry for the fans who came to see us, and I want to thank them for their support. Next year we will return and try to give our 100%’.

O conteúdo Fabio Quartararo wanted ‘to see’ his ‘potential’ in the Sprint race: ‘The weather conditions did not allow us’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

After being on the lead for all race, losing such position and even ending outside of the top three in yesterday’s main race, Jorge Martín was naturally frustrated and didn’t hide such. The rider recalled his mistake in the tyre choice.

‘The truth is that it wasn’t a cold shower like Indonesia, but I’m a bit frustrated, because I was the fastest all weekend and to throw the race away like that… in the end we got points, it could have been worse. Now there are some very good tracks for me, I hope not to make the tyre mistake again and to be very concentrated because it is important to arrive with options to Valencia’, the rider told DAZN.

Still, Martín believes that in the end it wouldn’t be that different but admitted the mistake: ‘It wouldn’t have changed anything because I wouldn’t have had that margin and in the end it would have been the same. It was obviously a clear mistake. Maybe the strategy wasn’t right and the tyre wasn’t right, because maybe with the other tyre if I had pulled like that I would have passed too. So, as we don’t know, nobody will ever know that. Let’s hope for next year here in Australia we have the magic wand’.

O conteúdo Jorge Martín didn’t hide his frustration: ‘I was the fastest all weekend and to throw the race away like that… It was a clear mistake’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Focussed until the last second. That’s how Brad Binder was this morning in Australia, not even admitting – in his mind – that the race could be cancelled so as not to be scattered.

The south african KTM rider spoke about his routine and how during his preparation today he didn’t think that the Sprint race might be cancelled, so he didn’t change his habits: ‘We race so often and you have your routine, and I can tell you that I am not a very nice person to be around from friday. You are so focused on what you got to do, in your priorities and stick to your same programme, and up until the race was cancelled you have the same preparation and don’t even think that it could possibly be because there’s just taking you away from where your focus needs to be’.

Yesterday the #33 was fourth in the main race, remember, while today in the Warm Up he was fifth.

O conteúdo Brad Binder was so focused that he didn’t even consider that today’s race could be cancelled: ‘I had the same preparation up to this point’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

After yesterday’s nightmare, Jorge Martín believed he would have a chance to recover some points in the Sprint race today, but it was cancelled, a decision he respects, although he did believe he could ‘recover some points’.

At Phillip Island, the spaniard, who yesterday dramatically lost the chance of winning the main race on the last lap, admitted that he even believed the race would happen: ‘I think they made the right decision to cancel the race. If the conditions were dangerous, they were dangerous for everyone. In the morning, the Warm Up went well and the conditions were good, in fact, I thought I was going to race. But then the weather changed and we have to respect the decision’.

Then, speaking to DAZN, Martín added: ‘It was incredibly windy, we’ve seen a lot of accidents in Moto2. In the end, it was the Race Direction’s decision and we have to respect it. Anyway, I was quite comfortable in the water and I saw a good opportunity to maybe recover a few points. So nothing, let’s think about the next race’.

O conteúdo ‘I thought there was going to be a race; I saw today as a good opportunity to maybe recover some points’ – Jorge Martín aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Brad Binder joined those riders who felt that cancelling today’s race was the right decision, while he was pleased to have had the opportunity to do the long race yesterday. The south african was also pleased with the RC16’s performance in the Warm Up, where conditions were already ‘on the limit’.

‘Well, there’s not much to say. It’s complicated, you building it upin the morning, you’re ready for action and when you put on your suit and start walking you see «cancelled»’ Binder began, before being happy with the decision to bring forward the weekend’s main race:

– I think it was definitely the right decision to do the main race yesterday considering that today was already expected to be sketchy. Already at the Warm Up things were a bit on the limit and with the way the wind was I think the guys [at Race Direction] certainly made the right decision, especially for safety reasons.

He was also happy with the way his bike performed: ‘Our bike worked well in wet conditions, the thing is that in the rain it can either be bloody good or bloody shit, we were lucky in the drawn today but I think it was working well for us. Considering when you watch Moto2 and how the guys were flingling it [by the wind], it’s not a place to be in the box. It’s a good day to be a journalist [laughs]’.

O conteúdo ‘In the Warm Up the bike worked well but in the rain it can either be bloody good or shit; Anticipating the race yesterday was good’ – Brad Binder aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.