Two podiums for Yari Montella at the French WorldSBK round came as the result of a turnaround, strengthening his grip on third place in the riders' standings. While the spotlight often falls on the dominant factory Ducatis, Montella has quietly amassed the most podium finishes after them this season.
Thirteen podiums in total have gone the way of the Barni Ducati rider, with eight of those coming in the last nine races. That consistency underscores his role as the leading challenger behind the Aruba.it duo—a status briefly threatened at Magny-Cours.
Difficult Start, Sweet Ending
Montella's weekend in France did not begin smoothly. He was on the backfoot compared to Sam Lowes, who qualified on the front row and finished third in Race 1. But a crash for the Marc VDS rider opened the door for Montella to reclaim the position he had made his own before the summer break: first behind the factory bikes.
Montella admitted to struggling early on but ultimately delivered what he considered his best performance in Race 2. "We struggled, but P4 yesterday wasn't a bad result. This morning we made adjustments, and in the Superpole Race we made another big change. It paid off because I had good pace," he said.
Montella's Best Race Ever?
In Race 2, Montella was impressive, calling it the best race of his career. "I was super happy about my feeling, I had a good rhythm all race. I started to struggle a little with the front tyre at the end, but it wasn't a bad race—not too far from Iker (Lecuona), and from second was not bad," he explained.
His results, combined with DNFs for both Sam and Alex Lowes on Sunday, strengthened his hold on third in the standings. The Italian now leads Alex Lowes by 46 points and Sam Lowes by 49. "A good weekend because we keep adding points. The main thing is the feeling with the bike; after that, the results come," Montella added.
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