During Friday’s practice sessions, both Ducati factory riders got a taste of the tarmac, Jack Miller crashing in the morning and Francesco Bagnaia in the afternoon. A problem was then identified relating to the gravel that is meant to soften a rider’s fall on track. On returning to the garage, the Italian rider gave team manager Davide Tardozzi two fistfuls of gravel, the reason for which was later clarified.
Tardozzi’s words
Tardozzi told Sky Sport: “He complained about the fact that the stones are too big. We already saw that this morning when Jack (Miller) crashed, they really cause damage, particularly to the bike”. A detail that makes a difference on a practical level, the Italian adding: “We need smaller, rounder stones”.
As for the Italian’s crash, which came during the session practice session on wet asphalt, he explains: “I don’t think the medium tyre was up to temperature, but Pecco said it wasn’t the tyre. He took the blame”. After a quick meeting, Pecco was straight back out on track.
Here, the video of the crash:
Translated by Heather Watson
Three Aprilias at the Portgual GP: Savadori brings updates to the track