Malaysian GP – Lorenzo (2nd): "I knew what behavior to adopt"
Jorge Lorenzo is on the podium for the third time on Ducati, to whom the Mallorcan offers the first double of the 2017 season behind his teammate Dovizioso. The No. 99, long-time leader of the Malaysian GP, finished ahead of Zarco and Marquez, whose championship lead fell to 21 points before the final in Valencia on November 12. MNC Statements and Analysis.
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati (6th in qualifying and 2nd in race): “I got off to a good start, but Marc was quite aggressive in the first corner and I had to straighten the bike. Nevertheless I felt comfortable, especially under braking, which allowed me to catching up on Johann, even though he was attacking hard. And then I took control. I remained focused, however, trying to keep my pace without hitting my rear tire too much. "
"But after a few laps, I found myself in trouble with the front … I had a few scares, especially in turn 15 where I almost fell. That’s when Andrea m ‘doubled. I was trying to be careful under braking to avoid the tragedy because there is always a risk of a collision! But I already knew what behavior to adopt in this situation. "
"I knew that the world title was important, that if Marc fell, that if he finished fourth or fifth … Yes I wanted to win and attack until the end, but the front tire was showing signs of growing weakness. And then when the rain got worse on the last lap, I saw that Andrea had slowed down … to the point of trying something? No, because there would have been a 90% chance of falling! "
- Malaysian GP 2017 : Report and rankings
- Malaysian GP 2017 :
- Malaysian GP 2017 :
Site analysis: Jorge Lorenzo, however little fond of racing in the wet, took advantage of the superiority of the Ducati in these conditions to skilfully surf to his third podium after his third places in and in. Sacred contrast with his last Sunday (15th) !
In view of his rapid recovery on Zarco and the pace he then set, the first victory over Ducati was even within the reach of the five-time Grand Prix world champion. But that was without counting the loss of grip of its front tire, which suddenly gave way five laps from the finish in turn 15…
- Malaysian GP 2017 –
Cooled by his narrowly avoided fall, Lorenzo then settled for second place behind his teammate, signing at the same time the first Ducati double since. This second place – his best result for the Reds – also allows him to equal the number of podiums (3) obtained by his former teammate Valentino Rossi during his two seasons on Ducati. !
Let’s stop the debates, however: the gap is huge between the 2017 Ducati driven by Lorenzo and the one Rossi fought with in and! The proof is with the six victories won this year by Dovizioso – which put Ducati in contention for the title for the first time since the Stoner era! -, or the four podiums of Petrucci on his private GP17. (End of the parenthesis "let’s compare what is comparable"!)
Still, the Mallorcan admits to having given everything to stay in first place as long as possible, wringing his neck at the suspicions of team instructions given by Ducati to step aside in favor of Dovizioso. The Yamaha defector nevertheless specifies that he was perfectly aware of the issues and that he would have adapted his behavior as needed..
"It is obvious that in certain situations you have to think about the team and the people who are working hard to achieve this title," said Gigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse team director. If, according to the Italian, no team instructions were given to Lorenzo – including when sending a message to change the mapping on his dashboard, which the Mallorcan ensures he has not even seen! -, this kind of situation had nevertheless been approached by the team: "certain choices, even if they are painful, must be made despite everything", reveals Dall’Igna interviewed by Sky Sports Italy.
While he ultimately did not need to offer victory to "Dovi", Lorenzo is satisfied with the outcome of this uneasy race which prolongs the suspense for the title between Marquez and Dovizioso all the way to Valencia. The Mallorcan will play there his last attempt to steal from Johann Zarco 6th place in the general classification 2017…
But with 17 points behind the French (154 against 137), Jorge Lorenzo knows that the advantage clearly leans in favor of the Yamaha Tech3 rider! Ducati will therefore light two candles in the hope that fate will smile on its riders in Valencia: the first for Dovizioso – who is 21 points behind Marquez – and the second for Lorenzo. !
In both cases, the Italian as the Mallorcan must hope for a poor performance of their rivals to gain a place in the standings … and win the world title for Dovizioso! Finally, Ducati will also defend its second place in the manufacturer’s standings, which Dovizioso’s victory at Sepang enabled him to take back from Yamaha..
Only two small points now separate the Reds of Bologna from the Blues of Iwata Yamaha (303 against 301), while Honda is already guaranteed to receive the constructor title with its 29 point lead.
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