Andrea Dovizioso stepped onto the podium today in the Shell Malaysia Grand Prix thanks to an excellent third place obtained at the end of a race that was a challenging test for bikes and riders due to the very high temperatures reached today at the Sepang circuit.
The rider from Forlì, who powered away well at the start from his row 4 grid position, crossed the line in fourth place at the end of the opening lap. Andrea then passed Miller on lap 4 and held on to third place until the chequered flag, defending the position steadfastly from the attacks by Rossi.
With third place today, the number of podiums achieved so far by Ducati in the 2019 season rises to 16, the best result by the Italian manufacturer since 2007, the year in which it won the World Constructors’ and Riders’ titles.
Danilo Petrucci, who started from row 3, finished the race in ninth place. In the Riders’ standings Danilo remains in fifth position, with a four-point lead over Quartararo.
With one round of the MotoGP World Championship remaining at Valencia, the Ducati Team is still in first place in the special Teams’ classification, while Ducati remains second in the Constructors’ standings with a one-point lead over Yamaha.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 3rd
“I’m very pleased because it was the fastest race we’ve ever done at Sepang in the dry, and so we have to be satisfied with this result. We knew that with a good start we could have aimed for a good result, but unfortunately in the race I didn’t have the same feeling as I had in practice: the tyres dropped a lot and I couldn’t stay with Viñales and Marquez. Pity because I was hoping I could, but in any case I’m happy with this podium, which is very important for me”.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 9th
“It was another very difficult race: I was making a comeback towards the end but in the last five laps I felt a very strong vibration at the rear and I couldn’t continue pushing hard. In the race I struggled a lot because my back is still hurting after last Sunday’s crash in Australia, and I couldn’t do any more. It’s a pity about the problem I had at the end of the race, but in any case I tried to bring home the best result.”
MotoGP will be back in two weeks’ time at the Ricardo Tormo circuit at Cheste (Valencia) for the final round of the 2019 season from 15th to 17th November.
