Moto2 Qatar, Race: Corsi the best of the Italians, De Angelis closes behind

“We deserved fourth place after the whole race close to the leaders. We started quite well and recovered several positions at the start, but the first three were uncatchable, they had another pace – said Simone Corsi 7th – Fourth place was within our possibilities and was also important in view of the points for the championship. During the weekend I had a forearm problem that worsened during the last laps and I wasn't able to push to the maximum. The feeling with the bike is good for Austin, a new circuit for everyone.”

“For being the first race, it's a good placement. I struggled a bit with a full tank of petrol in the first laps and I immediately lost a few positions – added Alex De Angelis 8th – I insisted on staying close to the group and when the others had some problems with tire wear we started to attack. I charged back to catch up with the leading group and I could have played for the sprint. My last lap was one of the fastest. Now we have some data to work with, but we are certainly not satisfied.”

“The weekend was a bit unlucky, below expectations, but we have to look ahead and think about the next race – concluded Mattia Pasini, who crashed – We have to try to place better in qualifying. We are a very united team and I thank the guys for their work these days. We have to hold on and look to Austin.”