The Australian Grand Prix was marked by a number of incidents related to the unpredictable weather, including the unfortunate fall of Valentino Rossi on the fourteenth lap.

The Australian Grand Prix, which was marked by a number of incidents related to the unpredictable weather, saw Valentino Rossi fall on the fourteenth lap. He was in fifth place at the time, having started from the fourth row. After a good start from the second row, the American was involved in a number of nice battles in the first part of the race, lapping at a competitive pace. When it began raining hard four laps from the end of the race, making the conditions particularly tricky, Nicky Hayden changed motorcycles and went on to cross the finish line in seventh place.

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 7th:

“Conditions were really tough today, with wind and rain off-and-on at different parts of the track. My start actually wasn’t amazing, but I think everybody else got away worse than I did. I was in a good position, but I really had no grip at the rear from the very beginning, and although I tried as hard as I could, I couldn’t defend much when guys started coming past. Eventually I blistered the rear tyre and was just trying to make it to the finish, and then when it started to rain harder, it felt really slick. I just about lost it, and when I saw Bautista go down, I decided to come in and change bikes rather than risk doing the same. It’s another seventh place, but I was closer to the front than I’ve been in most races. I felt good apart from a few places, like Turn 6, and the bike was fast. We’ll try to base our future work on those positives.”

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) DNF:

“The crash was really a shame because I could have finished fifth. After a pretty good start, I lost some ground to Nicky and Bautista, but then I found my rhythm and managed to get them both. Unfortunately, I lost the front when I passed Alvaro, and I’m really disappointed because I didn’t expect it. Evidently, despite all our hard work, we still haven’t solved this problem. Anyway, both in Japan and here, we could have collected some good points, and instead we leave with none. That said, we’re still working, and we’ll have a number of important things to try in the next tests.”

Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager):

“Just like at the Japanese Grand Prix, there are also positives to consider here in Australia, despite the fact that it was a challenging weekend. Vale struggled in the practice sessions, but he was fast in this morning’s warm-up. He also found a good rhythm in the race and had climbed as high as fifth place when he fell. Nicky had his best qualifying session of the season, he started the race well and we saw him have some good battles in the early laps. We expected something more here in Australia, but we’re also aware that we’re working on a number of different fronts in these races, gathering information that will be useful in the future.”

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