The Sachsenring Grand Prix ended without a works team Ducati on the podium. Bagnaia was the protagonist of a good comeback that took him from 16th to 5th, while Miller moved up to 6th after a good start to the race under the checkered flag. The bad news is that they both lost Quartararo points in qualifying. The good news is that they can make up for Sunday in Assen.
As in Germany, Ducati has only clinched one victory in its history in the Netherlands: 2008 with Casey Stoner. But the Cathedral of Speed - the circuit’s nickname – appeals to both of its drivers. Pecco won its first Moto3 race in Assen in 2016 and repeated it in Moto2 in 2018.
“I’m really excited to be racing in Assen again, a track that I really like and where I won both Moto3 and Moto2 so much that I even got it tattooed on my arm, “he confirmed.” It’s a unique track and the weather conditions here will certainly be a determining factor this weekend. We aren’t favorites on paper, but we weren’t among the favorites last weekend in Germany either. On the other hand, if I hadn’t started so far back in the Sachsenring race, I would certainly have been able to fight for the podium. We’ll try again this weekend. We’re in the middle of the championship, so it’s important to be able to get a good result before the summer break. ”
Miller also has fond memories of Assen in 2016: while his future team-mate won Moto3, the Australian celebrated his first successes in MotoGP.
“After the German GP, this weekend we’re again on a track that, at least on paper, is not one of the most popular for the characteristics of our bike“Warned Jack. “But I’m optimistic because at the Sachsenring, where we weren’t among the favorites, we were able to be competitive both in practice and in qualifying, even if we lacked something in the race. In the Netherlands, weather conditions will be a very important variable and it is here, in the rain, that I took my first MotoGP victory in 2016. It will be the last race before the summer break, so I’ll do my best to get close to the top of the leaderboard and finish this first part of the season well. “