All-Italian challenge
The Mugello weekend is heating up and this year the Italian GP is more ‘tricolor’ than ever with the battle for victory seemingly narrowed down to the two Italian manufacturers on the grid: Aprilia and Ducati. Noale, fresh from the announcement of the partnership with Monster Energy, dominated the very early part of the season and has gone from underdog to a mandatory favorite. Borgo Panigale, on the other hand, aims to confirm its supremacy on home soil: in seven of the last eight editions held in Scarperia, a red bike has won.
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Pernat’s analysis
FormulaPassion.it asked for a prediction from Carlo Pernat, who confided that he expects a weekend full of surprises: “This weekend is always important for us Italians, for the riders and for the manufacturers. Our riders always give something extra here at Mugello: after all, I would say this race is not as predictable as people want to make it seem. Everyone takes Aprilia’s [victory] for granted. But I say: watch out for Di Giannantonio because he is in form, he is motivated, they have given him the flag as Ducati’s reference standard-bearer and all these things can make him perform even better. This could become one of those unforgettable Grand Prix for him“.
Pernat is also curious to see what level Marc Marquez will be at, declared today ‘fit’ for the rest of the weekend. The reigning world champion returned to the track after the Le Mans crash, the double surgery on his shoulder and right foot, and after missing only the Barcelona weekend. But everyone’s question is: what level is #93 at? “We are waiting for Marc. It’s clear that Marc has problems. Only he could come back already now, with what he has done in the past and with the hell he has seen“.
Finally, as a possible surprise – but not too much, since he is fourth in the World Championship – the Genoese manager pointed out the ‘usual’ shark Pedro Acosta: “He is the only one among the ‘others’ who could do something good. He is still waiting for this first victory, but he is a phenomenon too. The phenomena on the grid at the moment are only three: Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo“, Pernat concluded.
Read more Official: Marquez ‘fit’, will be able to race in the Italian GP
