With this afternoon's race, Fantic Racing concluded its first Moto2 Italian Grand Prix at the Tuscan circuit of Mugello, one of the most awaited races of the MotoGP world championship.
After setting the seventh-fastest time in yesterday's qualifying, Celestino Vietti began the race from the third row of the grid. Unfortunately, he was immediately penalised at the start due to a three-rider crash at Turn 1. As a result, he fell to the rear of the pack. The Italian GP for him practically started from the 20th position, ahead of teammate Borja Gomez. Cele, however, did not let himself be demoralised and, on the contrary, clung to the fairing of his bike, starting a sensational comeback that, in a few laps, took him into the top 10.
With three laps to go, the No. 13 of the Fantic Racing team grabbed the fifth position with an incredible pace. The long Mugello track gave hope for a crazy comeback but stopped at fifth place. One more lap and a splendid podium could have been celebrated, blurred by less than a second.
Celestino confirmed himself, once again, as the fastest driver on the track, surpassing, for the second time this weekend, the 300 km/h mark and recording the highest average speed: 295.2 km/h.
Borja Gomez, who started from the twenty-fifth position on the grid, completes his debut grand prix on the Mugello asphalt in seventeenth place.
The MotoGP world championship does not stop: the Italian GP is heading to Sachsenring, where free practice for the German GP will start on Friday morning, and then to Assen for the Dutch GP.
Celestino Vietti: "It was a positive weekend; we worked well and were competitive. At the first turn, I could only brake and lose positions. I am happy because I felt good on the bike during the race and recovered many positions. I have to thank the team for the work they did. I'm sorry that today's podium was within our reach, but this gives me confidence for the next race."
Borja Gomez: "Mugello is a very demanding track, and I learned a lot this weekend. During the weekend, I felt better and better in the saddle, and in the race, I tried to keep a constant pace. I have to thank my team for the work they did these days. Now head to the German GP."
