2024-10-28 17:44:00
Danilo Petrucci has issued a warning to Andrea Iannone about the complicated challenge that awaits the #29 upon his return to MotoGP, where he will compete this weekend in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Iannone will occupy the plaza of Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, keeping one of the Desmosedici GP23s from Valentino Rossi’s team.
Iannone’s choice was influenced both by the good performances obtained in his first season in the Superbike World Championship, and by the strong bond with Valentino Rossi and the entire Tavullia team, in addition to the experience with Ducati. with which he achieved a victory in MotoGP in 2016 and has accumulated 11 podiums in the queen category.
The Italian will get on the Team VR46 Ducati without having carried out a single previous test, making his debut on the GP23 that same Friday morning, in FP1 of the Malaysian Grand Prix. The last time the Italian rode a MotoGP was at the 2019 Valencia GP, with Aprilia, before his four-year doping ban was made public.
For Fabio Di Giannantonio, the absence at Sepang will allow him to concentrate on shoulder surgery in Rome with Professor Alessandro Castagna, in view of preparing for next season. Meanwhile, Iannone’s return brings with it great expectations, especially after his 2024 WorldSBK season. where he finished eighth overall with 231 points, including a win in the Aragon round.
Petrucci, however, who already has the experience to return to MotoGP in time after being excluded from the championship, warns Iannone of the challenges that await him. in a category that seems to increase its level of demand more and more every year.
“In 2023 in France I finished 11th and entered the points zone. Furthermore, I had only raced in MotoGP until 2021. I would have liked to maintain Fabio’s position, but until you get on the bike everything is fine“commented Petrucci during the last round of WorldSBK in Jerez, alluding to the fact that in his last appearance in MotoGP, in the 2023 French GP, replacing the injured Enea Bastianini, he had managed to finish in 11th position and enter the points zone .
Petrucci also referred to the Sepang circuit and the additional difficulties that this track presents for a rider who has been out of MotoGP for some time: “The interviews are fantastic, the pride and exhilaration of being behind the wheel of one of the most competitive bikes in the world, but then in FP1 the level is so high and you’re new, so it’s difficult.”
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Regarding the physical level required by a circuit like the Malaysian one, the driver from Terni warns that in the final laps the situation becomes extreme: “Furthermore, Sepang is very complicated, with little grip and it is difficult to race there. On the one hand I’m sorry (not replacing Di Giannantonio), but on the other I’m happy because it’s hard to get to the finish line. In Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia In the last five laps you end up exploding, which you don’t wish on anyone.“
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