Drastic Ups and Downs at Mugello 2015

L-R: Andrea Iannone(ITA) of Ducati in 2nd, Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) 1st and Valentino Rossi (ITA) 3rd of Movistar Yamaha

The Italian Grand Prix of 2015 at Mugello was rather an eventful race. Home to several firsts, a record and some surprising results, leaders fell and a phoenix rose from the ashes.

Andrea Iannone, nursing what was discovered to be a fractured humerus, won a career first pole position, following which he placed second in the race, also a moment of celebration for the 25-year-old Italian. It is his career-best position at Mugello, and with the 20 points he scored, he is now in 4th in the drivers' standings with a sum total of 81 points. Rossi continues to hold lead in that regard.

Iannnone was thrilled with his own performance and the race in general, and said everything seemed to come together and work out effectively. “My team did a great job, the bike worked really well and the Clinica Mobile gave me a big hand throughout the weekend. This GP15 is a really great bike, and I was able to administer the race really well,” he said at the post-race press conference. He spoke about an inability to maintain his pace as Lorenzo had after grabbing the lead from Iannone early on in the race, but was doubtless pleased about the outcome nevertheless.

Last year’s champion, Marquez was quite obviously and visibly upset at his performance this race. He failed to automatically qualify following the first qualifier, beginning the race in 13th. He made a stellar save early on to move up to 6th position, at one point even challenging Iannone for second spot and putting himself in contention for a podium position. However, Marquez crashed out of the race with 6 laps to go.

Valentino Rossi, the King of the circuit, did not qualify well, beginning the race in 8th position. However, he made an absolutely miraculous climb through the ranks, saving himself from crashing out on a couple of slides that looked incredibly close to call. On one of them, it seemed as if Rossi had managed to make his bike stand using his knee.

With his hat-trick of wins – at Jerez, Le Mans and now at Mugello, Lorenzo has managed to all but catch Rossi up in the drivers’ standings, with the latter’s lead reduced to a mere 6 points, Rossi at 118 and Lorenzo at 112. The pairing is reminiscent of Formula One’s Rosberg-Hamilton pairing at Mercedes – teammates and rivals delivering consistent performances race after race. Hamilton, too, leads Rosberg by a mere 10 points in the F1 Drivers’ championships, and the two have been on the podium together every race this season.

The Movistar Yamaha teammates, unlike the Mercedes pair, however, have mellowed in their rivalry, and now share a camaraderie they previously did not have. Lorenzo says his own pace surprised him, but he went into the race with positivity regarding his own form, the vehicles and his teammate – a recipe for success. Prior to the Italian GP, Lorenzo was asked if he believed he could take a third title for the year, and he responded in the affirmative: “It seems that this year could be our year, so we have to take advantage of it.”

Marquez was not the only one who crashed out – Iannone’s teammate, another Andrea – Dovizioso, that is, also had vehicle issues. The Italian, who has had 4 podium finishes in the 6 races held so far, was forced to retire after the sprocket compounds on his bike wore. His rear sprocket was breaking apart and gradually losing teeth, making it extremely dangerous for Dovi to continue racing.

From fighting for 2nd spot, Marquez quit the race, leaving teammate Dani Pedrosa, in fourth, the only Honda vehicle in the top ten. The race was not without its share of new injuries – Briton Cal Crutchlow, who rides for CWM LCR Honda, had an issue with his front tyre and crashed out of the race with three laps to go. He sustained a sprained ankle for his troubles, and will need medical inspection prior to being cleared for participation in the Grand Prix at Catalunya in two weeks’ time.