The long race of the Thai GP started in the rain which began to fall harder just ahead of the MotoGP race start. The conditions were difficult, because the riders had only had the 10 minutes of warm up – the only wet session of the weekend – to lap on the track in those conditions.
Maverick Viñales started well from the tenth spot on the grid but lost a couple positions during the first lap. Despite this, the Spanish rider maintained a fast pace, finishing the long race in a solid seventh position.
Aleix Espargaró also had a good start from the fourteenth spot, making up four positions already at the end of the first lap. On a weekend marked by physical difficulties due to the crash in FP1, the Spanish rider rode a competitive race all the way to the final lap, finishing ninth.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
“The sensations in the wet were good. It’s a shame I wasn’t able to start further forward because the pace was decent enough to battle for the podium. I felt comfortable in the wet, braking at the right spots and managing to maintain a good pace. This result brings home important points to stay in the battle for the championship standings.”
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
“It was a complicated weekend due to the crash in FP1. On Friday, I had basically not ridden at all and on Saturday I was not at 100% fitness, so the race in the wet helped me. I gave it my all and tried to maintain a solid pace. On such a complicated weekend, ninth place is a positive result.”
MASSIMO RIVOLA
“Maverick maintained an extremely good pace throughout the race. He had a good start; it’s a shame he lost a couple positions on the first lap. Aleix battled and did not give up all the way to the end. After the bad crash in FP1, it was reassuring to see him battling in the race. We’ll try to fully analyse everything we’ve learned here in order to arrive in Malaysia ready to go.”
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