As if suffering a terrifying front-end moment at the Circuito de Jerez’s fearsome turn twelve wasn’t enough, Danilo Petru⛦cci faced the ignominy of crashing after taking the chequered flag in another eventful MotoGP꧅ qualifying session for the Italian.

The 28-year old felt his afternoon showing “confirmed” his weakness in the current qualif𓆉ying format a day after he had pinned his hopes on securing a space on the first two rows of the grid.

By the end of the 15-minute shootout, Petrucci was seventh, just 0.034s back of Cal Crutchlow in sixth, with a “strong vibration” on his final flying leading to a less tಞhan optimum performance.

That contrasted to FP3, when the Italian smashed the outrig✤ht circꩵuit record to lead Marc Marquez in a dramatic morning session.

“I'm not sure what type of issue it was,” he said of his feeling during Q2. “There was quite a strong vibration on my last flying lap. Despite this I was able to arrive until turn ten withಌ a small advantage, but in turn twelve - the very, very fast right - I felt this vibration stronger and🦂 my front closed. It was a scary moment.

‘Then I had another chance but unfortunately I went across the f🌱inish line in the same moment as the session ended. At the first corner I didn't 🥃know if I had taken the chequered flag or not, so I tried, but I crashed. The crash was a bad mistake but when I arrived back at the box they said, ‘You took the flag.’

“But anyway I'm happy for today for the pace. Sure I'm not happy about the result for qualifying, maybe I could start a few positions better. I will start more aggressive tomorrow to try and recover some positions and fight🅰 for the podium.

“It will be tough 🎐because there are many fast riders and especially I don't know how the tyres will be after 1ಌ5 laps. Maybe only Marquez knows. He did a very strong run in FP4 with very used tyres.”

Petrucci was among three names cited by Valentino Rossi as having the beꦅst race pace for Sunday’s 25-lap affai🎐r (Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso were the others). To challenge those men, a flying start in a must.

“The problem is just﷽ this. I 🐻mean when you start from the 3rd row, you always have to do a good start but the main thing is you cannot have a real strategy. I mean there are not a few riders, there are at least 6 riders that you have to care about.

“So for sure stay away from danger and then tried to save the tyre 🔯for the end because I think the tyre will get quite a big drop, especially the rear. And 🌸then try to fight to stay on the podium.

“For sure yesterday I said qua💛lifying was my weak point and today this was confirmed, but not 100-percent my fault but we have to recover like 🃏nothing happened. I mean I could do better in the first run.”