#ItalianGP: New contracts, same thrilling Mugello circuit

After a week full of 2017 announcements, riders sat down to discuss their future and what the Mugello weekend will hold.

MotoGP™ World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) arrives in Mugello with a five point advantage over Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), the pair were joined in the press conference by Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). It’s a big weekend for all three of them in Mugello, especially Rossi whose fans are already filling the hills with yellow. With their World Championship futures secure, Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) were also present to answer the press’ questions. It proved to be a busy day for Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) who got the chance to cook and eat a delicious bistecca alla fiorentina during the pre-event before heading to the press conference.

Since 2011, Jorge Lorenzo has only once finished off the top step of the podium in Mugello. The track might be in Italian but it has certainly been ‘Lorenzo’s Land’ in the recent past: “There are tracks where you can find your limits or take more profit from your strengths. Mugello is obviously one of these and probably my favourite track where I have had the best results during these six or seven years starting in 2009 with second place and then with some victories and second places. But also the surface and layout of the track is my favourite with a lot of chicanes, it’s not only about the results but also about the way the track is done.”

Lorenzo’s move to Ducati started an earlier than ever silly season, a flurry of riders sliding into place after him: “A lot of movement during the last three or four days. I think it’s good to have Dovizioso as a teammate, for me he has always been a very clever and logical guy and I hear that he’s very good in testing the bike. But for me it would be OK that Iannone stays in the team, he’s very fast and his riding is very similar.”

Marc Marquez has been the only rider to break Lorenzo’s win streak at Mugello, winning the 2014 edition of the Italian GP. But the circuit hasn’t always been kind to him, his other two visits in the premier class ending in the gravel: “Of course we know that we have another tough weekend ahead. Anyway, in Le Mans we suffered a lot but here OK, last year we suffered until Sunday, and then on Sunday we found something that was much better. We will try, we will try again to be there and see how the tyres work here. After …

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