MotoGP Riders Reflect on Thailand – Miller Extended Cut

MotoGP 2022
Round 17 – Thailand
Rider and Team Manager Quotes

Miguel Oliveira – P1

“For sure that was a long race! But I cannot complain, every time we get a chance to go for it in the wet then I am super-fast. When I saw the weather I was having flashbacks to Indonesia and was trying to keep my feet on the ground. I wanted to make a good start and keep the mistakes to a minimum. I’m really satisfied with this end of season win. Yeah, it’s in the wet but I’ll take a win in any condition!”

Jack Miller – P2

“It’s been a fair old week out here in Asia, that’s for sure – a win last Sunday in Japan, and then less than second off another one here in Thailand. Last week, once I got to the front, was pretty stress-free, but this one with the rain and everything… it was a lot tougher. It felt like such a long race out there, because in conditions like that you’re concentrating so hard… it was a stressful one alright.

“There’d been rain forecast all weekend, but all weekend it stayed dry when we were out there on track. And then on Sunday… you saw what happened. It doesn’t just a rain a little bit here either, so all we had was two warm-up laps on the way to the grid, and off we went. None of us had much of an idea what we were getting into, as we’d not ridden here in three years and not in the wet all weekend. So it was a bit of an adventure.

“Generally when the first wet session of a weekend comes about, I’m pretty quick to jump to it and understand my setting. I got up to the front pretty quick in the race and then it was me and Miguel that seemed to have the most confidence, and pretty soon it was a one-on-one fight with him, the others had dropped away.

“I tried my best and led a fair bit of the way, but all race I was struggling in the last sector of the lap, which was where Miguel was at his strongest. Even when I was ahead I knew that’s where he’d have a go at me because I could hear the corner speed he had behind me. My setting on the bike wasn’t quite where I wanted it, it felt a bit stiff, so that’s where he had his advantage.

“I kept him behind once when he came past at the last corner, but he eventually got me for good on lap 14 and then all I could do was hang in there to see if I could send a move back on him or if he’d make a mistake. Hats off to him, he didn’t offer me so much as a sniff. I gave it a good crack, but he rode flawlessly out front. When you’re first on the road and the conditions are as bad as that, it’s not easy to understand where your braking markers are as they change corner by corner, lap by lap. I spent the first half in the lead, he did the second half and I can tell you, it wasn’t easy out there. So to get 20 points out of that… I’m very happy.

“Pecco finished third and he’s now right behind Fabio for the championship lead, I kept myself in championship contention to a degree now I’m only 40 points back… it was an amazing day for the team.

“Pecco mentioned after the race that I’d given him a bit of a pep talk before we went out – he’s never usually gone that well in the wet before and you could see he was thinking about it. What I said to him was nothing major, but I basically told him to believe in himself, he’s one of the best riders in the world and he’s done a fantastic job up until now. I’ve seen him ride in the wet very fast before. He looked a bit apprehensive, so maybe my little talk helped him a bit.

“I definitely came here with a buzz after winning in Japan, a quick turnaround for sure but I definitely let it sink in. I actually watched the Japan race back a couple of times and watched with a bit of disbelief to be honest, because I’d never ridden a race like that before. Watching it two times was probably enough though! It was a bit of a shock to see, a nice shock you could say. But once we got to Thailand it was eyes forward and trying to do it all over again.

“We got to see the calendar for next season over the weekend too, and I definitely like the look of it – the first thing I check is Australia in October and then work my way up from there – and we have some new places to go to with Kazakhstan and India coming up for the first time. It’s a big calendar, 21 races, but it’s fantastic for the championship to be spreading out a little more rather being solely Europe-based. I like the idea of that, taking MotoGP all around the world. I think that’s how it should be.

“Anyway, maybe the best thing about this weekend is that the next race is home for me in a couple of weeks – and I’ve got my wedding next weekend. I got asked over the weekend if I was more nervous for the race than my wedding – the wedding will be easy because Ruby organised everything! No pressure for me, I just have to turn up and behave myself… And then my home race – for the first time in three years. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“I am thrilled with this third place. It was a long and very intense race. I knew my potential in the wet was this and not the one shown in Japan. From the beginning, I tried to push, trying to lose as little ground as possible, but it was not easy. By the end, the front tyre was gone, and the riders behind were getting closer and closer, but in the end, we made it. We are two points behind Quartararo in the Championship, so the next three races will be really decisive.”

Johann Zarco – P4

“In a certain way a positive day, I made a great comeback. Too bad because with a few more laps I could have played for the win.”

Marc Marquez – P5

“I am happy with the race overall; I was again able to do a solid race – avoiding mistakes and staying calm at the start. Wet races are always very long so you need to be careful. Then I was feeling better, and I gained time on the group ahead, but it was impossible to overtake Bagnaia. The acceleration of the Ducati is very strong. We keep on working and trying to improve everything, it has been a good weekend where we were competitive in the wet and the dry. Now we have a week off to recover a bit and keep on training to be strong for the final three races of the year.”

Enea Bastianini – P6

“I’m quite happy. Too bad for the start as my mapping was inadequate and I couldn’t push as hard as I could have during the first lap. I was able to change it and stayed with the same settings for the whole race. The first ten laps were quite difficult, and I can’t deny I was scared… you couldn’t see a thing. Then the rain lowered its intensity and I think sixth today was our real goal. We got it and it’s good. Now we need to keep believing in the last three races, the classification is very tight at the top with many potential winners.”

Maverick Viñales – P7

“In the early laps, visibility was truly reduced to a minimum. I did the straight practically without seeing anything! In any case, the feeling today was really good. I recuperated a lot of positions and I’m confident that, with better qualifiers, I would have been a podium contender. Anyway, the important thing is that we learn from these weekends.  This morning in the dry we took a step forward in terms of setup although I don’t think it would have been enough to be competitive the way we were in the wet.”

Álex Márquez – P8

“We were really lucky because it started to rain during the Moto2 race. We knew at that moment we had an opportunity to do a good job and we did that. In the first few laps I was feeling really good, unfortunately the rain didn’t continue, because on a wet track we were really, really fast and I felt comfortable. As the track started to dry out, I suffered a lot and the race was a little bit too long. I’m happy for the team for this result, and we’ll keep going. We have three (races) to go and need to keep believing we can make a good result. Big thank you to all of them.”

Jorge Martín – P9

“A great shame because I am sure that in the dry I could have won. However, I am happy because we made a big step forward in the dry.”

Brad Binder – P10

“I was really looking forward to the wet race today. I didn’t get a great start but passed a few riders and then on lap two someone hit me on the inside and I went off the track. When I rejoined deep in the pack I couldn’t see anything! When I went down the straight it was like someone had a blanket over my eyes because of the spray. Luckily, I pulled back a few positions and managed 10th place. It’s frustrating because I know I could have done a much better job today. Next stop Phillip Island.”

Aleix Espargaro – P11

“I was competitive today. I had a good pace and I managed to make up a lot of positions. Then there was the contact with Brad which I personally feel was a normal racing situation since I was already alongside him on the straight going into the corner on the inside (to his right). That cost me an eternal long-lap penalty and then I kept pushing but I couldn’t do any better than eleventh. Anyway, we’re leaving Buriram with multiple positive points. First of all, I’m headed home to my family and I’ll be able to prepare as best as possible for the upcoming races on two circuits where we’ll have fun. Then there’s the fact that we closed the gap behind Fabio who, as championship leader, is still the man to beat.”

Alex Rins – P12

“The race was a bit tricky and hard to manage. There was a lot of standing water on the track, and when you’re in a group with many riders it was so difficult to see with the spray, so I just tried to stay clean and stay safe. It’s not a great result, but my feeling on the bike was actually not bad, especially given we haven’t had much wet track time this year. I’m looking forward to going to Australia next, Philip Island is a cool track to ride and I hope for a better result there.”

Franco Morbidelli – P13

“The first ten laps of the race were probably the scariest experience of my life. The visibility was none. But thankfully everybody was wise enough to not do any crazy moves or try crazy stuff in the areas where visibility was zero. The first ten laps went through with nothing much going on. That was really surprising, but also a relief. After that, the real race started. I could extract some pace from my package, and I was quite fast actually. But when I reached other bikes, I couldn’t overtake or do much more, so I needed to step back and bring the bike home.”

Pol Espargaro – P14

“It was a long and tricky race in the wet. It’s clear the Honda has more potential in it because you can see what Marc is doing. He’s maybe riding in a different way but I am still struggling a lot with edge grip. We were able to make up some places in the wet and score some more points, but this is not what I am aiming for and we need to improve for the final races.”

Raul Fernandez – P15

“I had wished for the rain to come because I was not at my maximum physically, so I was pretty happy. I felt good at the beginning of the race but then our pace started to drop and I started losing confidence lap after lap. For this I am frustrated because I think that I could have finished in the Top 10. The track was getting worse so I had to analyse and decide how to at least finish in the points. Anyway, it was good having some battles with Brad Binder, Aprilia riders and we grabbed one point, which is very positive.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P16

“It wasn’t the race I was hoping for, the weather played a bad joke on us and I never really managed to find the right feeling. I got a good start, then the penalty and in the slipstream I started to struggle. I had to pick up the pace and I lost positions. I’m very sorry, so far it was a great weekend.”

Fabio Quartararo – P17

“Rain fell at the worst possible time for us. We had not much wet track time before the race started – just a few minutes. The first laps of the race were really tricky. I was pushed wide by Jack in Turn 1 and it only got worse from there. I was trying to find a good feeling, but in Turn 4 I had a moment, and the visibility was really bad. I’m sorry for the Thai fans. I had hoped to do a better race in front of them. We have an idea why we struggled that much, but we will investigate more to improve for the future. We’ll try to come back stronger in Australia.”

Fabio DiGiannantonio – P18

“So far we always had a good feeling in wet conditions, but that wasn’t the case today. I was losing a lot of ground on corner exit and despite being very strong under braking, I was then unable to make ground when accelerating. I lost many places in the first three laps. Too bad, because it was another race in which we could have done well, but we weren’t in the right place set-up wise.”

Cal Crutchlow – P19

“I struggled today, first of all I think it was very dangerous on the first lap, you can’t see anything from the back. The other riders were closing throttle in fifth gear and to me it’s strange when you still have the straight left. Anyway, it was a difficult race for Yamaha today, it seem that we all have very similar problems with the tyre pressure and the tyre heating. It’s a shame because this weekend in the dry, we had a great pace but our problems were exaggerated in the rain. It was the same problem in the dry but we got away with it in the dry.

“So it was a disappointing day, I think if it was in the dry, we could have had a great race, but honestly speaking the speed of my bike this weekend was not good in the straight compared to Aragon and Motegi where i was the fastest Yamaha, came this weekend it was a surprise to not have a fast bike to be competitive in this rain. This is the situation, we have to now look ahead and go for it in Australia and the last two rounds.”

Danilo Petrucci – P20

“First off, I would like to thank the entire team for their help and the big effort they put in. It’s been a huge source of pride for me to ride this bike in this team, they are a really amazing group and they gave everything to find the best setup for me. I struggled today because I didn’t have any wet track time and I found it hard to suddenly ride in the wet, but I relaxed into the race and tried to get into the points. It wasn’t possible and I finished 20th, but I’m still really happy to have been here and able to race with Suzuki.”

Darryn Binder – P21

“I’m quite disappointed to be really honest, it’s always difficult to be going straight into the rain race not having some final laps in the wet before. I had a good start, I felt quite good in the first laps but you couldn’t see anything going from turn 1 to 3 then to 4, it was shocking, I think I was riding like fourth gear on the straight in the first four laps cause I couldn’t see where I was going. But anyway, I was making passes, I passed a couple of riders and building my way up, and in lap 4 or 5 I caught up to Fabio (Quartararo) and I was feeling good lining up where I was going to pass him, but the next thing I just started to lock the front everywhere, I don’t know if the front tyre started to heat but then I was just making mistake as I keep locking the front so I ran off a couple of times and got back on. I tried my best to keep the same pace and everyone was just getting faster but I was staying the same so I’m really disappointed. I really thought I was going to get going but it is what it is. So, we try again in Phillip Island and I can’t wait.”

Tetsuta Nagashima – P22

“First of all, I want to say thanks to the team as they did a very good job this weekend and I was very happy working with them. Today was my first time riding a MotoGP bike in wet conditions and it was difficult, but I learned a lot and it was a good experience. In the last part of the race, my pace wasn’t bad and I had a good feeling. Let’s see what happens next, I’m happy and would also be happy to ride in the next race.”

Luca Marini – P23

“In this type of conditions a mistake can happen and I had really made a great start and I managed to keep a good pace in the first laps. I wasn’t perfect, we have never rode here in the wet, but I can say that I was able to keep an incredible pace even after the crash. It was important to finish the race, collect info, because this is a type of weather that we could also find in Malaysia or Australia in the upcoming weeks.”

Remy Gardner – DNF

“I enjoyed the first few laps of the race although it was difficult to have visibility on the straights with all the water. I felt really good at the start and was registering good lap times. Unfortunately, I ended up crashing, which is a shame because I think that we could have finished in the top 10. Next, Australia, so I am looking forward to racing there, and hopefully we can have a good result at home.”

Team Managers

Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“Miguel did an incredible job. He was 10th on the first lap but the visibility was low but he recovered and was very clever and fast with his moves. He was on a mission and we know how good he is in these conditions. Once he was in the lead he could make his pace: fast and safe. Let’s not forget that Miguel was also fast in the dry and so was Brad. He was unlucky that Aleix put him out of the track because it was difficult to recover from there. We also improved our position in the teams and recovered some ground in the Constructors standings. Three rounds to go!”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“It was a strong race under the rain for Tech3 KTM Factory Racing. Both Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner took a good start to their Thailand Grand Prix, and were easily in the points within the first few laps as they were both doing interesting overtakes, with a really good pace.

“Unfortunately, Remy crashed losing the front which was a great shame because he was virtually in the points. Raul kept his head down and kept fighting smartly to finish the race best rookie, and grabbed a point. He even finished in front of the poleman, Marco Bezzecchi, which shows that his ride was really good. He has learnt a lot today, the conditions were not easy at all with a lot of water at the start and less in the end, meaning less grip, and he managed this very well. 

“I just want to thank my two riders for their work this weekend, and a special congratulations to Raul for his race.

“Of course, a very special congratulations to Miguel Oliveira and KTM for their second win of the season. He did an amazing race, and is really a rain master. I am very happy for him.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“When we arrived here, we expected all sessions to be wet, but unfortunately it started raining at the wrong moment. The race became a complete gamble, because the riders didn‘t have any wet track time beforehand to prepare themselves and their bikes. It ended up badly for us, especially for Fabio. Franco rode a decent race in tricky conditions until the front tyre dropped in the final stages. Having exceeded track limits on five occasions, he also received a three-second penalty that puts him in 13th place. Even the track was against us today. It became dryer lap by lap, making the mixed conditions more difficult for us. We need to understand why in Indonesia we fight for the win in rainy conditions and here it‘s the total opposite. We are leaving Thailand feeling disappointed.”

Livio Suppo – Suzuki Team Manager

“It’s really hard when you’ve only had dry track time and then suddenly you’re faced with a very wet track like we had. Nobody had done laps in the wet, so it’s a case of trying to find the best setup on the spot and taking a gamble. Alex managed the race well considering everything, and he persevered to score some points in 12th position. Danilo did a good job, and his pace was decent considering he’s never ridden our bike in the wet. It’s been a pleasure to have him with us, and we wish him all the best for the future. Now we have a short break to recharge our batteries, and we hope to return with Joan in Australia.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“We were prepared for a dry race, but the heavy rain changed everything drastically. The wet conditions weren’t easy and we had a hard race. Alex tried to make a good start, but he lost a few positions, after that his pace wasn’t bad but he struggled to make up positions. However, he still got 12th. Danilo found it very hard to ride the bike in the rain for the first time, but he did a very great and professional job and we enjoyed working with him. Now we have three races left to recover some good results.”

Pablo Nieto – Mooney VR46 Racing Team Manager

“Really extreme conditions in which to race today and very complicated to manage, if we consider the experience of Luca and Marco in MotoGP. A real shame for both: Marco started from the pole and deserved more, while Luca showed his real potential at the start of the race. We are not giving up, the Team is working hard, we are taking full advantage of these strange situations and closing the championship in the best possible way.”

Razlan Razali – WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Principal

“Well as forecasted, the Thailand Grand Prix was delayed and raced under difficult tricky conditions which of course affected everybody’s race especially our two riders, Cal and Darryn. While Darryn had a great start in the beginning, he then gradually fell back, but I think it is more towards the conditions that he could not adapt as well as he could.”

“Cal as well was steadily progressing but unfortunately it was too far for Cal to get any points. So, we will take a little break before we go back to Phillip Island, Australia where we will again do our best to try and get some valuable points.” 

Wilco Zeelenberg – WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Manager

“It was a very difficult weekend for us, I think it’s the worst results so far but anyway the conditions were very difficult, of course the rain was a lot and the boys couldn’t see anything in the first couple of laps. They both tried as hard as possible to get into the points but it was not possible for this race weekend. Anyway, we look forward to Phillip Island, it’s always a special moment to go to Australia and hopefully we can do a much better job there than we did here.”

2022 Thailand MotoGP Race Results

MotoGP Championship Points Standings