Italian Grand Prix winner Danilo Petrucci says he is “so sorry” to Andrea Dovizioso for his last-lap move that his team-mate described as “very aggressive”.
Petrucci picked up his maiden MotoGP win after a scintillating three-way scrap against Dovizioso and Honda rider Marc Marquez that featured the three bikes running side-by-side into Turn 1 on the last lap.
Dovizioso and Marquez had slipstreamed past Petrucci on Mugello’s main straight, but Petrucci launched his bike down the inside at San Donato, forcing Dovizioso to lift when he was squeezed between his team-mate and Marquez.
Ducati’s leading rider in the championship was unable to re-pass Marquez, causing Petrucci to repeatedly express his remorse for Dovizioso in the post-race press conference.
Petrucci said: “I knew that Marc and Andrea tried to pass me on the slipstream on the straight – they did, they braked really hard.
“I braked a little bit earlier, and just as I was very tight on the kerb, there was just this one metre and a half [gap] and I put my bike there.”
“Andrea was closing the corner but I was there. I’m so sorry for that pass.
“Andrea was the last person in the world that I want to [make] the bike pick up.”
Petrucci reiterated his gratitude to Dovizioso for his support and cooperation since the start of his tenure as a Ducati works rider this year.
“I would like to dedicate this first victory to Andrea, my team-mate, that adopted me this winter like a child, like a brother. A very, very big child,” he added.
Dovizioso stressed he was “really happy” for Petrucci, but admitted dropping points against Marquez was “bad for the championship”.
“I did a good strategy, I wanted to be first on the last lap from the first corner, but Danilo overtook us very aggressively,” he said.
“I didn’t feel there was a big space [for Petrucci], so I tried to close the door as fast as I could, but Danilo arrived at that moment, so I have to pick up the bike very quickly to not touch Danilo.
“But at the same moment Marc was there, so when I pick up I have to be careful because if I hit Marc, I can crash. But in the end, everything was OK.”
Petrucci, who had been ill during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, said he had doubts heading into the race as he had expressed tiredness after “four or five laps” during the earlier sessions.
He insisted he was far from certain of victory even through the final corners, recalling previous defeats in his career.
Petrucci said: “When I saw Marc and Dovi passed me [on the penultimate lap], I said ‘no, another time, leading all the race and I will finish third, maybe fourth’.”
He added he was “waiting” for Dovizioso and Marquez to battle for the win as he climbed through the gears at Bucine, but crossed the line 0.043s clear of second.