Italian MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa settles for third at Mugello

Dani Pedrosa surrendered nine crucial points on MotoGP world title rival Valentino Rossi after he finished a distant third in today’s Italian GP.

Leader at the end of the first lap, Pedrosa was quickly passed by reigning world champion Casey Stoner and on lap three he slipped down to third when Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha surged by.

Pedrosa briefly reclaimed second when Stoner made a mistake at the first corner on lap 10, but the Repsol Honda rider conceded: “That was a really tough race because Valentino’s pace was very, very fast.

“I got a good start and the rhythm was really high, at first I was able to go with them, then I had a battle with Casey. I tried to catch him at the end but it was impossible. It was great to be on the podium, it’s a good result for the championship, but while consistency is always important, we need to win more races.

“The engine was good today, our main concern now is tyre consistency during the second part of races. I was losing the front towards the end of today’s race, so tyres are what we must focus on.”

Asked if he thought he would ride Honda’s new pneumatic valve engine in Barcelona this weekend after test rider Tadayuki Okada’s battling 14th, Pedrosa added: “It was very important that Okada finished today, gathering a lot of data, which we will examine and discuss tonight before we make our decision.”