Coming off three GPs finished in the points zone, with Fabio Quartararo achieving his best seasonal placement in Barcelona (5th place), Yamaha arrived in Italy charged and motivated to achieve another result within the top fifteen. A mission that, unlike the satellite team Pramac, was not successful in either the Sprint or the Sunday race.
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The Japanese manufacturer faced all the difficulties encountered on the Mugello circuit, with the 2021 world champion, after fighting in the first half of the race for the top 15, giving up in the last laps, finishing only in 18th place: “It was a really tough weekend overall – admitted the Frenchman – I felt I could push a bit in the first laps, but then the sensations worsened in some corners. To avoid crashes, I decided to slow down a bit and reduce the risks. It was a tough weekend, but I hope the good feeling with the bike returns on other circuits, so I can have a more enjoyable GP.”
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Even tougher was Alex Rins’ race, who started from twelfth position and climbed to tenth after the start. However, after losing ground in the first laps, the Spaniard made a mistake at San Donato, falling and ending his fight for the top 15: “I lost the front. I went to the pits to analyze what happened, but it’s hard to understand the reason for a crash in five minutes. It didn’t seem like I did anything different compared to the previous laps and, honestly, I’m a bit disappointed to end the weekend like this. This weekend didn’t go badly for me: I was riding well. I struggled a bit more in the corners, but the setup was the same as Saturday, so the only differences were the tire and the temperature.”
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