Iannone talks about his first premier class podium

After claiming the first premier class podium of his career Andrea Iannone spoke about what it meant for him to stand on the rostrum in Qatar alongside Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso.

It must be incredible to get your first podium?
It’s incredibly emotional for me to get my first podium in the MotoGP class. I’ve raced with Ducati for three years and we’ve improved step by step and for me this is a fantastic moment.

How did it feel to fight with Valentino and Dovi?
It was fantastic and for me I tried my best but in this race I had a little bit less than Vale and Dovi. I followed Lorenzo and when he started to lose pace I pushed a little bit more and I passed him to finish in third.

Did you expect to get a podium already?
I don’t know! When I came from Moto2 into MotoGP I wanted immediately to finish on the podium because I was used to fighting for the top three in Moto2 but when I started my first race in MotoGP I realised that it’s completely different in this class! I realised that I had to stay calm and that I could fight but that it would take time to improve with the bike.

What do you expect for the next races?
I expect to fight for the top five because while I want to think positive I don’t think that I can aim for the podium every race. I understand how difficult it is in the MotoGP class and Honda and Yamaha have strong riders. The bike has improved a lot but I don’t know if it will feel the same in Austin.