Saturday Sprint Race Quote Machine: Miller Gets The Bag
by Hazel Decker
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Quote Machine Saturday Assen 2025:
STORY OF THE SPRINT
It was a brilliant start from pole for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as Marc Marquez got away just as he’d have hoped. The Yamaha and factory Ducati went into Turn 1 side by side, it was tight, and because he was on the outside, Marquez was slightly wide and had to come back onto the track over the curb. That then meant it was tight between Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), but the former stayed in P2.
And then, by the end of Lap 1 at the GT Chicane, the title race leader was the Sprint leader after carving up the inside of Quartararo. Alex Marquez quickly followed his brother through and then Bezzecchi was also past the polesitter.
At the start of Lap 5, the Sprint had settled down a tad, but Alex Marquez was looking eager to pass the #93. Bezzecchi was 0.3s away in P3, Quartararo was a further 0.5s away from the RS-GP and had Pecco and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) for close company. And the latter, who had not long set the fastest lap of the Sprint, attacked Pecco at Turn 5 on Lap 6. It wasn’t a move that stuck, but it was a warning shot for the recent king of Assen.
Half a lap later, Di Giannantonio was through on Pecco at the GT Chicane. The top six were split by 1.5s on Lap 7 of 13, but it was still Marc Marquez leading the chase. It was as you were at the front with four laps to go, but Pecco had now lost touch on the top five.
Then, Quartararo was down. Turn 10 was the place as the YZR-M1’s front end washed away from underneath the Frenchman after he’d just fired in his fastest lap of the Sprint. That gave Bezzecchi some breathing space in P3, the Italian was 0.8s clear of Di Giannantonio with three laps to go.
Last lap time. 0.2s split the top two, with Bezzecchi 0.7s further down. Could Alex find a way through on Marc? There was no way through in the first three sectors, so it was all coming down to the GT Chicane. And boasting enough of a gap, there was no getting by the six-time MotoGP World Champion. A ninth Sprint win of the season came the way of the #93 in what has been the most difficult weekend of his year so far.
THE POINTS SCORERS ON SATURDAY
Di Giannantonio finished just over a second away from Bezzecchi in P4, with Bagnaia having to settle for a low-key P5 on Saturday – the Italian will be hunting more on Sunday afternoon. Top KTM honours went the way of Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in P6, as Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) collected P7 despite having to take a Long Lap penalty on the final lap for exceeding track limits. The final two points-paying positions belonged to Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in P8 and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in P9.
>>>>>>>>>
ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"The day was not bad, but we struggled a lot to complete a clear lap during qualifying, and due to this I started from P19. We started the Sprint in a good way. I recovered some positions. I started with a used front tyre so we could keep one soft for tomorrow in case it's cloudy. The Sprint became a little tricky because the rear tyre had more grip than the front and was pushing a little bit. I got stuck behind Miller and couldn't overtake him. Apart from that, it was acceptable. My pace was not bad, so let's see what we can do tomorrow. It will be difficult starting from P19 again, but at least I can try to enjoy the overtakes."
FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"I don't think I crashed because I was riding with a used front tyre, but of course it didn't help during this Sprint race either, but we had to ride with a used tyre if we wanted to keep one soft ready for tomorrow. There was a really light contact between Marc and me. I saw someone riding on the outside and I closed the line because I wanted to keep the position, give it my maximum, and battle. I was pushing like every single lap was a time attack, but we lose time on the straights. We have the speed, but speed and fighting with other riders are two different things. But we're a team, and we are all working together to make it the best situation possible."
>>>>><<<<<<
Ducati
Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team win the Sprint at Assen, Francesco Bagnaia finishes fifth
Alex Márquez is second with the Ducati machine of the Gresini Racing Team, Fabio Di Giannantonio is fourth (VR46 Racing Team)
The Ducati Lenovo Team has finished the Grand Prix of the Netherlands Sprint at the TT Circuit on the top step of the podium, as Marc Márquez took win number nine of the season in the shorter Saturday race, while Francesco Bagnaia was fifth at the flag.
Márquez got off to a brilliant start from fourth on the grid, moving up to second place at turn one and taking the lead by the end of the opening lap. From that point on, Marc expertly defended first position from his brother Alex. Bagnaia, who started from the front row, lost ground as the race went on and eventually finished fifth, 1.4 seconds away from the podium.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow morning at 9:40 local time (GMT +2) for the warm-up, followed by the tenth Grand Prix race of the season, which gets underway at 14:00 and will run over 26 laps.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“My goal from the beginning was to get a strong start, push, take the lead, and then defend it, as I wasn’t the fastest rider out there today. I was riding well, my level was acceptable, but physically I wasn’t in top shape to attack, and the overall feeling wasn’t perfect. That said, I still managed to secure another win. I knew Alex was right behind me — I could hear his engine in turns 11 and 12 — but I focused on defending my position under braking. Tomorrow, I’ll need to lose less ground in the sectors that are less favourable for me.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th
“Throughout the weekend, maybe even more so than in recent races, I had a really strong pace in every session leading up to the Sprint. Unfortunately, once again today I couldn’t be as effective or aggressive as I needed to be: I have to brake earlier, and I don’t have enough grip — which means I end up getting passed by other riders. Even though I’m faster than the guys ahead of me, I find myself just watching them, waiting for someone to make a mistake so I can gain a position. It’s frustrating, because I’ve always struggled in the Sprint races since they were introduced.”
<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>> KTM
Viñales & Acosta secure MotoGP™ Dutch TT Sprint points
MotoGP 2025 - Round 10 of 22, TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands – Qualification and Sprint
Red Bull KTMs filled 6th and 9th positions in front of a busy TT Circuit Assen today for the tenth Sprint of the season. Maverick Viñales and Pedro Acosta pocketed Saturday points under grey skies in The Netherlands and after a close Sprint in which the top six were split by less than six seconds. Elsewhere Red Bull KTM made sure of another 1-2 qualification in Moto3™.
Maverick Viñales charges through from a fourth row start and latches onto a six-rider tussle for podium places. The Spaniard registers Saturday points for the fifth time this year
Pedro Acosta places 9th after passing the flag in 7th but suffers a time penalization for missing a Long Lap sanction
Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini classify 10th and 13th. Binder makes a strong push from 16th on the grid
Moto3™ Pole Position for Jose Antonio Rueda and a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 with Alvaro Carpe in 2nd while Deniz Öncü qualifies 10th in Moto2™
The 75th Dutch TT Grand Prix was part of centennial celebrations for the TT Circuit Assen, a venue steeped in motorcycle racing history but also host to the tenth round of 2025 MotoGP and the second event in a week for the paddock. The time-honored, flat and varied mix of corners in the northern Drenth region faced a cloudy and cool climate on Friday and was then warmer but breezy on Saturday.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Viñales has a rewarding connection with the track, having won in the Netherlands in 2019 and taken nine podium finishes at the site. The Spaniard was quick on Friday as was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta as the brandmates both slotted into the top ten and through to Q2. Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini posted times to place 6th and 7th in Q1 and therefore accepted 16th and 17th positions on the grid. Less than one second split the 12 runners in Q2 and Acosta and Viñales were 0.7 and 0.8 of a second away from Pole, meaning 9th and 10th respectively for the 13-lap Sprint and the Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Sprint was a static affair. Maverick pushed into the group circulating in sight of the top three and Pedro was also in touch but P7 became P9 and the last Sprint point after he could not complete a Long Lap penalty on the final circulation. Maverick locked 6th place for this third consecutive Saturday score. Brad made an excellent start to work his way inside the top ten while Bastianini was 13th and will have a three-place grid demotion due to slow riding earlier in the day.
Race time is 14.00 CEST and will involve 26-laps.
Maverick Viñales, 10th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint: “Mixed emotions. A difficult feeling in Quali, and I could not ride the bike in the best way but I was quite happy with the Sprint result. We have really good data for tomorrow. We have to pick the correct tires because the medium dropped quite a lot. We’ll see.”
Pedro Acosta, 9th in qualification, 9th in the Sprint: “The race was not too bad and the pace also until the last few laps. It’s true that we’re not in our sweet moment. We weren’t too bad in qualifying but still a bit far. We need to keep working, keep going and try to match the start of the others and the first corners. That’s what we’re missing.”
Brad Binder, 16th in qualification, 10th in the Sprint: “It’s been clear that all weekend I’ve been struggling. We’ve been playing with the set-up and I now need to work out the right feeling. Pedro and Maverick are doing a much better job so I left the bike alone today and chipped away at going faster. My goal was to work on my riding, and I didn’t manage to find much more speed but at least I was a bit consistent and got up to 10th. Hopefully more tomorrow and we can be further forward.”
Enea Bastianini, 17th in qualification, 13th in the Sprint: “A different day. We tried something to be much faster and we checked the data after the Sprint: my riding is good but on the fast corners I lose speed. I’m losing too much and it’s hard to recover the gap. We have to understand if it is something from the aero because it is difficult to figure out. Let’s see if we can understand it tomorrow morning. I’m a bit angry about the penalty because in my opinion I was off the line.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Friday was quite positive, and we had good expectations but quali did not quite go as expected. To have two riders in Q2 is decent but we’re not looking to start around 10th position. In any case, Pedro did a solid race. He was mainly struggling with the front tire but he finished in P7 before the penalty. We believe tomorrow in the longer race – as in the last GPs – we will have a better chance to recover positions. It’s been a tough weekend for Brad and we changed the target for today. He did a long run in the morning looking for some consistency and some confidence. The race was effective and should set him up for better tomorrow. We’ve changed the working style for him and we’ll see if it can pay off. Maverick continued his decent level. The quali didn’t go to plan but we’ve been working a lot on the turning of the bike. In some conditions or on certain tracks its disturbing us a bit more. In longer races and with harder tires we are always a bit closer to our main competitors and to show more our potential. I feel we have made steps but the Quali with the new tires is something that we are trying to improve. It’s an important part of the bike development. Maverick was happier in the race than in the Quali and tomorrow should see more of the same. Enea has made a step forward and I see positive progress in understanding the bike more. I think we will see him fighting more and more for the top ten positions, but, he still needs that better qualifying lap to be higher on the grid and to make the whole process easier.”
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>
MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“I had a very good start, and I managed to gain five or six positions. However, I didn‘t feel competitive enough on the bike, especially in the last chicane. That was my best overtaking opportunity, but I just couldn‘t get close enough. Naturally, this was quite frustrating because I believed I was faster than the riders ahead, yet I was forced to sit behind them for basically the entire race. The silver lining, though, is that I gathered plenty of valuable information for tomorrow‘s race. I finally feel fully back, even though, unfortunately, the result doesn‘t reflect how I really feel. For example, on tracks with poor grip, I believe I‘m one of the best Yamahas. Regardless of the grip level, though, my qualifying time simply isn‘t acceptable, I need to work hard, because some things just aren‘t adding up.”
JACK MILLER
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“The pace wasn‘t as good as I was expecting in the Sprint Race, so we ended up battling at the back of the group. Then, like this morning, on lap 2 the airbag went off because of the wind, so for a while it was quite tricky until it deflated and allowed me to keep going, but it made me lose quite a few positions. The bike wasn‘t too bad, but I was struggling with rear grip. Coming out of Turn 1 into Turn 2 and then into Turn 3, I had to keep the bike more planted, but that created a lot of wheelspin and heat, which carried through the rest of the lap. We need to try and find something tonight to improve, both electronically and in terms of weight distribution. I pushed as hard as I could, but those 1'32.8 to 1'33.0 lap times were all I had in my pocket. It was tough—we need to find more grip.”
MotoGP Press:
Tissot Sprint victory number nine of the season is in the books for Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the #93 got to the front early doors on Saturday at the Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands, and then he managed to keep Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) behind. The latter claims another silver medal on Saturday as the brothers cross the line just 0.351s apart, and joining them on the Sprint rostrum was Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing). STORY OF THE SPRINT
It was a brilliant start from pole for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as Marc Marquez got away just as he’d have hoped. The Yamaha and factory Ducati went into Turn 1 side by side, it was tight, and because he was on the outside, Marquez was slightly wide and had to come back onto the track over the curb. That then meant it was tight between Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), but the former stayed in P2.
And then, by the end of Lap 1 at the GT Chicane, the title race leader was the Sprint leader after carving up the inside of Quartararo. Alex Marquez quickly followed his brother through and then Bezzecchi was also past the polesitter.
At the start of Lap 5, the Sprint had settled down a tad, but Alex Marquez was looking eager to pass the #93. Bezzecchi was 0.3s away in P3, Quartararo was a further 0.5s away from the RS-GP and had Pecco and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) for close company. And the latter, who had not long set the fastest lap of the Sprint, attacked Pecco at Turn 5 on Lap 6. It wasn’t a move that stuck, but it was a warning shot for the recent king of Assen.
Half a lap later, Di Giannantonio was through on Pecco at the GT Chicane. The top six were split by 1.5s on Lap 7 of 13, but it was still Marc Marquez leading the chase. It was as you were at the front with four laps to go, but Pecco had now lost touch on the top five.
"I don't think I crashed because I was riding with a used front tyre, but of course it didn't help during this Sprint race either, but we had to ride with a used tyre if we wanted to keep one soft ready for tomorrow." -- FQ
Last lap time. 0.2s split the top two, with Bezzecchi 0.7s further down. Could Alex find a way through on Marc? There was no way through in the first three sectors, so it was all coming down to the GT Chicane. And boasting enough of a gap, there was no getting by the six-time MotoGP World Champion. A ninth Sprint win of the season came the way of the #93 in what has been the most difficult weekend of his year so far.
THE POINTS SCORERS ON SATURDAY
Di Giannantonio finished just over a second away from Bezzecchi in P4, with Bagnaia having to settle for a low-key P5 on Saturday – the Italian will be hunting more on Sunday afternoon. Top KTM honours went the way of Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in P6, as Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) collected P7 despite having to take a Long Lap penalty on the final lap for exceeding track limits. The final two points-paying positions belonged to Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in P8 and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in P9.
>>>>>>>>>
Yamaha
"It was a tough Sprint for us today, and we all feel especially disappointed for Fabio, who put up a good fight at the start. Álex's Sprint was always going to be tricky, starting from P19. He and Fabio were riding with a used front tyre to save a fresh soft for tomorrow. Álex had a good start, then lost some ground, but also recovered positions. Fabio's pole was a great highlight, and he got away well, leading early on. Unfortunately, an unexpected crash cost him a chance to fight for the Sprint podium today. Thankfully he's okay, and we're all motivated to come back stronger for tomorrow's Grand Prix."ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"The day was not bad, but we struggled a lot to complete a clear lap during qualifying, and due to this I started from P19. We started the Sprint in a good way. I recovered some positions. I started with a used front tyre so we could keep one soft for tomorrow in case it's cloudy. The Sprint became a little tricky because the rear tyre had more grip than the front and was pushing a little bit. I got stuck behind Miller and couldn't overtake him. Apart from that, it was acceptable. My pace was not bad, so let's see what we can do tomorrow. It will be difficult starting from P19 again, but at least I can try to enjoy the overtakes."
FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"I don't think I crashed because I was riding with a used front tyre, but of course it didn't help during this Sprint race either, but we had to ride with a used tyre if we wanted to keep one soft ready for tomorrow. There was a really light contact between Marc and me. I saw someone riding on the outside and I closed the line because I wanted to keep the position, give it my maximum, and battle. I was pushing like every single lap was a time attack, but we lose time on the straights. We have the speed, but speed and fighting with other riders are two different things. But we're a team, and we are all working together to make it the best situation possible."
>>>>><<<<<<
Ducati
Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team win the Sprint at Assen, Francesco Bagnaia finishes fifth
Alex Márquez is second with the Ducati machine of the Gresini Racing Team, Fabio Di Giannantonio is fourth (VR46 Racing Team)
The Ducati Lenovo Team has finished the Grand Prix of the Netherlands Sprint at the TT Circuit on the top step of the podium, as Marc Márquez took win number nine of the season in the shorter Saturday race, while Francesco Bagnaia was fifth at the flag.
Márquez got off to a brilliant start from fourth on the grid, moving up to second place at turn one and taking the lead by the end of the opening lap. From that point on, Marc expertly defended first position from his brother Alex. Bagnaia, who started from the front row, lost ground as the race went on and eventually finished fifth, 1.4 seconds away from the podium.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow morning at 9:40 local time (GMT +2) for the warm-up, followed by the tenth Grand Prix race of the season, which gets underway at 14:00 and will run over 26 laps.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“My goal from the beginning was to get a strong start, push, take the lead, and then defend it, as I wasn’t the fastest rider out there today. I was riding well, my level was acceptable, but physically I wasn’t in top shape to attack, and the overall feeling wasn’t perfect. That said, I still managed to secure another win. I knew Alex was right behind me — I could hear his engine in turns 11 and 12 — but I focused on defending my position under braking. Tomorrow, I’ll need to lose less ground in the sectors that are less favourable for me.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th
“Throughout the weekend, maybe even more so than in recent races, I had a really strong pace in every session leading up to the Sprint. Unfortunately, once again today I couldn’t be as effective or aggressive as I needed to be: I have to brake earlier, and I don’t have enough grip — which means I end up getting passed by other riders. Even though I’m faster than the guys ahead of me, I find myself just watching them, waiting for someone to make a mistake so I can gain a position. It’s frustrating, because I’ve always struggled in the Sprint races since they were introduced.”
<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>> KTM
Viñales & Acosta secure MotoGP™ Dutch TT Sprint points
MotoGP 2025 - Round 10 of 22, TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands – Qualification and Sprint
Red Bull KTMs filled 6th and 9th positions in front of a busy TT Circuit Assen today for the tenth Sprint of the season. Maverick Viñales and Pedro Acosta pocketed Saturday points under grey skies in The Netherlands and after a close Sprint in which the top six were split by less than six seconds. Elsewhere Red Bull KTM made sure of another 1-2 qualification in Moto3™.
Maverick Viñales charges through from a fourth row start and latches onto a six-rider tussle for podium places. The Spaniard registers Saturday points for the fifth time this year
Pedro Acosta places 9th after passing the flag in 7th but suffers a time penalization for missing a Long Lap sanction
Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini classify 10th and 13th. Binder makes a strong push from 16th on the grid
Moto3™ Pole Position for Jose Antonio Rueda and a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 with Alvaro Carpe in 2nd while Deniz Öncü qualifies 10th in Moto2™
The 75th Dutch TT Grand Prix was part of centennial celebrations for the TT Circuit Assen, a venue steeped in motorcycle racing history but also host to the tenth round of 2025 MotoGP and the second event in a week for the paddock. The time-honored, flat and varied mix of corners in the northern Drenth region faced a cloudy and cool climate on Friday and was then warmer but breezy on Saturday.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Viñales has a rewarding connection with the track, having won in the Netherlands in 2019 and taken nine podium finishes at the site. The Spaniard was quick on Friday as was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta as the brandmates both slotted into the top ten and through to Q2. Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini posted times to place 6th and 7th in Q1 and therefore accepted 16th and 17th positions on the grid. Less than one second split the 12 runners in Q2 and Acosta and Viñales were 0.7 and 0.8 of a second away from Pole, meaning 9th and 10th respectively for the 13-lap Sprint and the Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Sprint was a static affair. Maverick pushed into the group circulating in sight of the top three and Pedro was also in touch but P7 became P9 and the last Sprint point after he could not complete a Long Lap penalty on the final circulation. Maverick locked 6th place for this third consecutive Saturday score. Brad made an excellent start to work his way inside the top ten while Bastianini was 13th and will have a three-place grid demotion due to slow riding earlier in the day.
Race time is 14.00 CEST and will involve 26-laps.
Maverick Viñales, 10th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint: “Mixed emotions. A difficult feeling in Quali, and I could not ride the bike in the best way but I was quite happy with the Sprint result. We have really good data for tomorrow. We have to pick the correct tires because the medium dropped quite a lot. We’ll see.”
Pedro Acosta, 9th in qualification, 9th in the Sprint: “The race was not too bad and the pace also until the last few laps. It’s true that we’re not in our sweet moment. We weren’t too bad in qualifying but still a bit far. We need to keep working, keep going and try to match the start of the others and the first corners. That’s what we’re missing.”
Brad Binder, 16th in qualification, 10th in the Sprint: “It’s been clear that all weekend I’ve been struggling. We’ve been playing with the set-up and I now need to work out the right feeling. Pedro and Maverick are doing a much better job so I left the bike alone today and chipped away at going faster. My goal was to work on my riding, and I didn’t manage to find much more speed but at least I was a bit consistent and got up to 10th. Hopefully more tomorrow and we can be further forward.”
Enea Bastianini, 17th in qualification, 13th in the Sprint: “A different day. We tried something to be much faster and we checked the data after the Sprint: my riding is good but on the fast corners I lose speed. I’m losing too much and it’s hard to recover the gap. We have to understand if it is something from the aero because it is difficult to figure out. Let’s see if we can understand it tomorrow morning. I’m a bit angry about the penalty because in my opinion I was off the line.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Friday was quite positive, and we had good expectations but quali did not quite go as expected. To have two riders in Q2 is decent but we’re not looking to start around 10th position. In any case, Pedro did a solid race. He was mainly struggling with the front tire but he finished in P7 before the penalty. We believe tomorrow in the longer race – as in the last GPs – we will have a better chance to recover positions. It’s been a tough weekend for Brad and we changed the target for today. He did a long run in the morning looking for some consistency and some confidence. The race was effective and should set him up for better tomorrow. We’ve changed the working style for him and we’ll see if it can pay off. Maverick continued his decent level. The quali didn’t go to plan but we’ve been working a lot on the turning of the bike. In some conditions or on certain tracks its disturbing us a bit more. In longer races and with harder tires we are always a bit closer to our main competitors and to show more our potential. I feel we have made steps but the Quali with the new tires is something that we are trying to improve. It’s an important part of the bike development. Maverick was happier in the race than in the Quali and tomorrow should see more of the same. Enea has made a step forward and I see positive progress in understanding the bike more. I think we will see him fighting more and more for the top ten positions, but, he still needs that better qualifying lap to be higher on the grid and to make the whole process easier.”
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>
Pramac Yamaha
“It wasn‘t an easy Sprint Race, made even tougher by missing out on Q2 with Jack by less than two-tenths. And we all know how important grid position is in today‘s MotoGP. Miguel did well at the start, gaining several positions, but later struggled to find the pace to attack those ahead. Jack suffered with grip issues, which is clearly an area we need to work on. Now, we‘ll focus on preparing for tomorrow‘s race, which will be special for us and all of Yamaha as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Iwata with all four bikes running the same livery.”MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“I had a very good start, and I managed to gain five or six positions. However, I didn‘t feel competitive enough on the bike, especially in the last chicane. That was my best overtaking opportunity, but I just couldn‘t get close enough. Naturally, this was quite frustrating because I believed I was faster than the riders ahead, yet I was forced to sit behind them for basically the entire race. The silver lining, though, is that I gathered plenty of valuable information for tomorrow‘s race. I finally feel fully back, even though, unfortunately, the result doesn‘t reflect how I really feel. For example, on tracks with poor grip, I believe I‘m one of the best Yamahas. Regardless of the grip level, though, my qualifying time simply isn‘t acceptable, I need to work hard, because some things just aren‘t adding up.”
JACK MILLER
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“The pace wasn‘t as good as I was expecting in the Sprint Race, so we ended up battling at the back of the group. Then, like this morning, on lap 2 the airbag went off because of the wind, so for a while it was quite tricky until it deflated and allowed me to keep going, but it made me lose quite a few positions. The bike wasn‘t too bad, but I was struggling with rear grip. Coming out of Turn 1 into Turn 2 and then into Turn 3, I had to keep the bike more planted, but that created a lot of wheelspin and heat, which carried through the rest of the lap. We need to try and find something tonight to improve, both electronically and in terms of weight distribution. I pushed as hard as I could, but those 1'32.8 to 1'33.0 lap times were all I had in my pocket. It was tough—we need to find more grip.”
— ends —
