Jack Miller returns to the podium with 3rd in the #GermanGP, Pecco Bagnaia retires after a crash
Jack Miller finished on the third step of the podium at the German GP, which took place this afternoon at the Sachsenring circuit near Chemnitz.
As he was starting from sixth on the grid, the Australian rider managed to keep up the pace after the start to move up into fourth place before doing the ‘long lap’ penalty imposed yesterday in FP4. Back in seventh, Miller was able to pass the two Desmosedici GPs of Jorge Martin and Fabio Di Giannantonio quite immediately and reduce the gap to the Aprilia of Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro in just a few laps. Having passed Viñales, Miller tried several times to attack Espargaro, finally getting the better of the Spanish rider with three laps to go and finishing the race on the podium in third place. The Australian rider, who is now seventh in the championship, brings to three the number of podiums obtained this year after the third place in Austin and the second place in Le Mans.
On the other side of the garage, it was a race to forget for Pecco Bagnaia, who was forced to retire after a crash after three laps. As he was starting from pole, the Italian rider was second behind Fabio Quartararo when he suddenly lost the rear at Turn 1. After the tenth round of the 2022 season, Bagnaia occupies the sixth position in the overall standings, tied on points with Miller. Ducati remains at the top of the Constructors’ Championship with a 49-point lead over Yamaha, while the Ducati Lenovo Team is fourth in the team classification.
Another Ducati made it onto the podium today, thanks to Johann Zarco, second across the line with the Pramac Racing Team’s Desmosedici GP.
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
It was probably one of the hardest races physically I’ve ever done. I did the long lap right away and almost crashed because of some rocks that were in the way. I got in behind Martin and Di Giannantonio and managed to pass their two Ducatis pretty easily. I struggled more with the two Aprilias, but then Viñales had a technical problem, and I took fourth place. I tried then on two occasions to pass Espargaro and got past him with three laps to go when he went wide. I pushed hard today and am very happy with this result!
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – Retired
It was a really strange crash, and both the data and my feelings don’t give a clear explanation about what happened. For sure, there was some mistake from my side, but I had been very smooth in acceleration on that lap, so I find it strange to have lost the rear like that. After such a perfect weekend, I’m even more disappointed about this crash.
The Ducati Lenovo Team riders will be back on track in less than seven days for the eleventh round of the 2022 MotoGP season, the Dutch GP, scheduled from 24th-26th June at the TT Circuit in Assen.
