Dani Pedrosa is the 8th MotoGP rider in a row to win the title this season
Pedrosa's gamble paid off as he opted for a soft-compound front tyre, allowing him to push throughout the race, having started 8th on the grid. This helped the Spaniard charge against Yamaha riders Rossi and Lorenzo who were leading the race from the grid with the latter starting at the pole. Rossi, supported by a crowd of yellow, was running on a medium front tyre, much like most riders led the race early on, passing Lorenzo on the second lap, and was expected to grab the victory much to the pleasure of the hoards of supporters present.
Dani Pedrosa stands fourth in championship standings
Moving down, Vinales was given a position penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits and temporarily lost his fifth place to Andrea Dovizioso of Ducati, only to regain it soon after. Michele Pirro finished 7th ahead of Cal Crutchlow, who finished ninth after being penalised 1.5 seconds for exceeding track limits, which led to Pol Espargaro grabbing the eighth place.
