Pramac rider Danilo Petrucci scored a strong podium finish at his home MotoGP race in Italy, joking he would have sold his house for a top three result.
He was quick enough for the front row in qualifying but exceeding track limits at Turn 5 meant he was stripped of his lap, falling to ninth.
The Italian recovered ground early in the race at Mugello and was part of the lead group, finishing behind winner Andrea Dovizioso and runner-up Maverick Vinales.
“It’s incredible,” he said on the race. “If anyone asked me what I would give to be on the podium, I would have said I’d sell my house.
“It’s unbelievable. Yesterday [Saturday] was quite strange because I crashed on the out lap and I thought, ‘what a great morning’.
“Then I started to push with the other bike and my laptime was lowering, then I finished the bike. In qualifying from Q1 it was tough, but I was more confident compared to the others.
“I did a good lap but I made a mistake. Everyone said, ‘OK but tomorrow you can be fast’…I knew in previous races I’d started badly but was fast at the end.
“I knew I had to stay with the others at the front to have a good race, and when I was in fourth, I said ‘OK, you’re fourth – wait for the last lap…’ but then I thought ‘it’s your home Grand Prix…try’.
“I passed Valentino [Rossi], then Maverick, and tried with Dovi – but it wasn’t so easy. Trying to stay with him finished my rear tyre.
“When Maverick passed me I looked behind if maybe Valentino was further, but he wasn’t. But, in the end, I managed to stay on the podium and it was a great day for me.”
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