MotoGP: Iannone pays tribute to crew after stunning victory

Andrea Iannone has paid tribute to his Ducati Corse crew for the work they put in to take the Italian to his first MotoGP victory – and Ducati’s first win in the premiere class since 2010.

Taking a dominant win as part of a Ducati one-two with teammate Andrea Dovizioso, Iannone took a gamble with tyres that paid off for him – even if Michelin and his mechanics told him it was the wrong decision to make!

“I am really very happy, because in my opinion we did an incredible race. I started off quite slowly and tried to stay up front without ever pushing too hard, because I knew that in the final stages I could have had a bit less pace than everyone else, having opted to start with the soft rear tyre, while all the others made a different choice.

“I ran the whole race keeping a bit of margin and my bike was really perfect. I think that we did a great job over the entire weekend and I’d like to thank my team, all of Ducati and my crew chief Marco Rigamonti who have helped me improve so much in these last four years.”

The win even came despite damaged ribs for Iannone who hurt himself over the summer break in a motocross crash – but says he barely felt it thanks to his support crew.

“My physiotherapist worked very well, and I had some small pain during the race, but only in the last five laps. I must have had very strong adrenalin, because I rode in first position, and I was so focused on the ride that I didn’t stop!”