The Ducati Lenovo Team riders returned to the track this afternoon at the Sachsenring circuit for the eighth round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, the German GP. After two days of clear skies, today’s race was partially disturbed by a few drops of rain, which fell during the first laps, but did not wet the track.
Starting with the tenth fastest time, Francesco Bagnaia was the protagonist of a great comeback. After having dropped down into sixteenth place in the first laps, the Italian rider was able to find a good rhythm towards the second part of the race, passing many rivals to catch his teammate Jack Miller. Finally, Pecco passed the Australian rider on the last lap, crossing the line in fifth place. Miller, who started from the fourth spot on the grid from the second row, made a good start and managed to stay within the leading group for several laps. However, as he was third almost halfway through the race, the Australian could not defend his position in the final laps, dropping back into sixth place after he was overtaken by Bagnaia a few corners from the finish.
After the German GP, Miller remains in third place in the overall standings, just one point ahead of fourth-placed Bagnaia. At the same time, Ducati and the Ducati Lenovo Team occupy second place in the constructors’ and teams’ standings.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th
“Despite the comeback, I’m not happy with today’s result because I know I could have fought for the podium. Unfortunately, during the first few laps, I had a different feeling than the last few days and I struggled to find my rhythm. However, in the second half of the race, I felt more comfortable, and I started to push. I managed the tyres well and was consistent right to the end, moving up to fifth place. Now we have to stay focused as in a few days we’ll be in Assen for another race weekend.”
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 6th
“Compared to the previous days, today in the race, we suffered a bit more. I had a good bike to try and fight for the top positions, but I didn’t have enough grip, and in the final laps, I tried not to stress the rear tyre too much to avoid losing more positions. I was hoping to get a bit more, but anyway, we bring home important points for the championship. Now we’ll analyze the data to try to understand what we missed today and work to be more competitive next weekend in Holland”.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back on track in less than a week, from 25th-27th June at the TT Circuit Assen for the Dutch GP, the ninth round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.
