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MotoGP Argentina results 2015 and post race rider quotes

April 20, 2015

If you missed this race, you just missed a clinical performance from the Doctor, Valentino Rossi. A race that defies everything else and comes down to pure strategy, and in this particular case it was down to the tyre choice. The super hard compound meant two things, one that it will last the whole race distance and second that Rossi had to keep it warm by being at the limit all the time. Rossi and the Yamaha team knew from Friday what tyre they had to use and not once did they think twice about it. It was a gamble by other riders especially Marc marquez. He ended up having to think too much about his tyres and manage them while Rossi was piling on record breaking laps from behind to catch up. The hard moves Marc Marquez made was clearly unnecessary but these are racers at the end on the day and winning is their thing. What that means is that Marc Marquez is 30 points behind Rossi in the championship standings and we have a very interesting season up ahead. Check out the post race rider quotes below.

Valentino Rossi

“It’s a great victory, we made the right decision and started with the extra hard tyre. When I saw Marc start with the red one I knew that he would try to push at the beginning. I made a great start but on the first corner Iannone pushed me on the outside. Step by step I came back, and when I arrived in second Marc had a little more than four seconds lead. I knew the race was long, so I knew he could have some difficulty. Catching him lap by lap, I could see him far away but coming closer and closer, it was a great taste! I overtook him in braking, but he is a rider who is all or nothing, he touched me in the corner, then he touched me again as I was accelerating, I think he made a mistake and he crashed. It’s a shame because it could have been a great fight on the last lap. In three races we have demonstrated we can be competitive everywhere and fight for the championship.”

Andrea Dovizioso

“I am really pleased, even more so than in the first two rounds, because this was a very difficult track for us. In practice and qualifying we went quite well but we were not that fast, and managing such a demanding race with the drop in rear tyre performance was very important and rather complicated. Everyone really had to struggle, but once again we managed to get onto the podium. This result means that we are looking really strong, because we are there up at the front even when the conditions are not so much in our favour. I want to thank the team, who are working very well, as well as Ducati who have made a special bike, and I feel very confident about the future because we can only get better.”

Cal Crutchlow

“We are so pleased to get the podium, when I get to come up here itâs usually because you’re going fast! The CWM LCR Honda Team did a great job, we worked so hard for the third spot. The plan was always to try and let Marc go at the start, hold the other guys up and then try to push at the end. I had a bad middle of the race though and the bike locked up a couple of times and I made a few mistakes, but I tried my best to hold onto some grip for the end – and it seemed to pay off! We would have been happy with fourth place, because thatâs where we started. We got lucky though because Marc crashed, but ultimately we battled for it, so we deserve it.”

Andrea Iannone

“In the race we could have certainly have battled for the podium, because we were set up well to be quick and in the end we demonstrated it. Around half-way through the race I was in a bit of difficulty and I changed the engine mapping to try and reduce the sliding of the bike and ride a bit better, but it was too late. I probably didn’t guess the strategy right, and in the end I paid for it. It was a pity because in the final stages I was quicker than Cal, but I arrived a bit long at the final corner and he passed me. In any case it was a great scrap, and for sure I will try and get even in the next race.”

Jorge Lorenzo

“Honestly, I am very disappointed. I didn’t expect to finish in fifth position. I expected to fight at least for the podium. I was was not able to ride as good as Valentino with the hard rear tyre, maybe we needed a softer one to feel better. I didn‘t feel good and I wasn‘t able to ride as I wanted. Anyway, we keep getting points and let‘s see in Jerez if we can be faster. Valentino‘s race was unbelievable, he was able to go faster than anyone else with the harder tyre, he is in an unbelievable shape.”

Bradley Smith

“Today I’m really happy about taking home this 6th position as this is actually better than we expected during some points of the weekend. Before the race, I was still undecided about which compound of rear tyre to use as the tyre life is vital at this track due to the grip issues we have had all week. We made a few changes inbetween the warm up and the race including the decision to go for the hard compound. It was a shame that the first corner didn’t go to plan, like it did last week and I wasn’t able to go around the outside and make up some places. A few guys got in underneath me who were riding on the racing line, whilst I was on the dirty section of the track. Afterwards, when you lose three or four seconds because of a tricky start like this, it’s impossible to get back with the leading bikes as the lap times are so similar. However, I will gladly take this result as it confirms my third consistent race finish in the top eight, which is a far better start to the season compared to last year. So now I am looking forward to Jerez with confidence as I can’t wait to return to race in Europe in two weeks time.”

Aleix Espargaro

“It’s been a tough race, unfortunately I finished seventh after being in second place on the grid. This is not what we were hoping or expecting for. We are afflicted by some issues at the rear from the beginning and we need to fix them to be more competitive. For sure this seventh place doesn’t pay justice to the positive that we had this weekend and this is why I am a little disappointed after the race. We have transferred a lot of feedback to the engineers, therefore I hope we will get some improvement in the European races. So far we are too-far from the top than we actually deserve.”

Maverick Viñales

“I was hoping for a better result in the race according to the progress I made this weekend, including my direct access to Q2. Unfortunately I had a bad feeling with the tyres in the early laps so I could not be as effective as I wanted, but then unexpectedly the feeling got better and better as the tyres got more worn, so at the end of the race I was lapping at nearly the same times as the race leaders. For sure we take comfort from this, because it means that we have a good machine. We need to improve in the qualifying session and also in the set-up for the race. But once again, being in the top-10 is a positive result we must be proud of.”

Scott Redding

“All I can say it was a better weekend than Qatar but not as good as Texas. I was behind Hernandez in the early laps when his bike caught fire and I was getting covered in oil. That disturbed my rhythm a little bit but I was struggling for front and rear grip. I ran the extra hard rear tyre because Bridgestone said the hard was a big gamble and we knew the extra hard would be good for the race distance. Hindsight suggests the hard might have been better when you look at Crutchlow and Marquez, but the important thing is I finished in the top 10 and gained more valuable experience.”

Pol Espargaro

“I can’t be disappointed with the result considering where we started. The first few laps were quite positive as I was able to put myself right behind the two Pramac bikes as well as Vinales. However after this, Hernandez’ bike caught fire right in front of me and I lost a lot of time compared to Brad and my brother. Before he retired, there was oil on the track as well as on my vision so I needed to be careful even though I was sure he would stop sooner or later. By the time he pulled over, the gap to my brother who was in front of me, was already a bit too big. I tried to recover some time on him and Bradley, but it didn’t go according to plan. Halfway through the race, I had closed in a bit but then as soon as I realised that I wasn’t able to catch them, I decided to stay in my rhythm rather than risk crashing. To go from 18th to 8th is not a bad result as we managed to limit the damage and take home some valuable points. It was clearly not our best race, but I’m really looking forward to going back to Europe and competing at the race tracks where I know I am strong.”

Marc Marquez

“It’s a shame what happened, because we were having a good race! It was interesting, because our tyre choice was different from Valentino’s as I felt we were not as competitive the harder compound. The strategy was working out well for us –it’s just a pity about the last two laps. When I saw that he was closing in on me, I decided to conserve the tyres a little. On the final laps I went back to riding in the low 1’39s to check that the tyres were still in good shape, and knew that we would be fighting to the end. When he caught me, we fought for a few corners and unfortunately we touched and I crashed. I’ve always said that he’s my idol and my reference, so you always learn things from him. Now we have to think about Jerez and begin to recover points.”

Hiroshi Aoyama

“I didn’t get the best start as the start procedure seemed to happen very fast and caught me slightly off guard, so I didn’t get off the line immediately. I lost some positions and had many riders in front of me so I had to fight hard and managed to progress from 22nd position to 11th on the last lap. Unfortunately in the last corner on the final lap, Petrucci tried to pass me but he hit me forcing me to lose the front and I crashed. It was disappointing to end the race in this way. Also, with the incident involving Marc, it’s not been a good weekend for the Repsol Honda Team and I’m very sorry for all the team. Race control penalised Petrucci with a penalty point, so it’s good that they acknowledged the incident, but anyway it doesn’t affect our result.”

Loris Baz

“It was a really good race and I am very satisfied. I struggled in the opening laps with a full tank as I was losing the front and I had to give in different positions. With the passing of laps the feeling improved and I managed to keep a really good pace that allowed me to reach my direct opponents of the Open class. Today I picked up my first points in MotoGP, I am very happy and I have to say thanks to all the guys for their work. In just three races we have reach the goal of scoring points.”

Stefan Bradl

“It was not an easy race for me. I am very sorry for the result, I did not have a bad start, but after 10 laps, I started to have problems with the electronics and the tires especially in the fast corners. Up to that point I was fighting for the head of the Open class but then everybody passed me. We have to analyze the data, to understand what happened and get ready for Jerez.”

Danilo Petrucci

“I am very satisfied. I had a good start and I was able to stay with the others in front. I knew I didn’t have a great race pace with the full tank and this made me struggle a lot in the middle part of the race. Then I could manage to lap stronger even if the Top 10 was already too far away. Now we go back to Europe, where I know the circuits best. The season’s goal is to get points in every race and I am respecting the program so far.”

Yonny Hernandez

“I am very sad about what has happened. I started very well, recovering positions and entering the Top 10 where I wanted to finish the race. Unfortunately that problem happened. After the main straight I felt something very hot coming from below. I did not immediately notice the fire. But a couple of corners later the temperature became unbearable. I saw the flames and I had to stop. I do not know what was the problem and the team is trying to understand what happened. Certainly I had bad luck. Now I have to think only about of Jerez. I want to have a good race and I will give my all.”