Random Thoughts from France's gourmet pork-fat city:

Valentino Rossi's three-stop strategy bears a little examination. Like everyone else, he started on wets then changed to slicks. He crashed at Musee, came in and got back on the wet-shod bike. Only it now had a slick in the back. Don't the rules state that you must go out on different tyres from those you came in on? Well, sort of.

The English version uses the phrases 'wet tyre' and 'dry tyre'. It also uses the phrase 'intermediate tyre' but Bridgestone don't supply any. The French version uses the word 'pneus', that's the plural, as in 'tyres.'. As in all motorsport, the regs were written in French and that's the version that takes precedence. The court may wish to consult records in the case of Read versus Ivy.

Yamaha's post-race releases stick by their claim that the rules require only one tyre to be changed, Rossi said the same in his press de-brief; Burgess and Brivio said they don't speak French.

As Valentino only finished 16th, no-one bothered to take any action. If he had scored points, that might have changed. Whatever, just as in the case of FIM versus WCM, the regs are again found wanting, at least in their English version.

Colin Edwards put the hardest pass of the race in when he passed his team-mate on the high-speed run up to turn one; it was close. Neither rider wanted to make anything of it afterwards.

Valentino Rossi's three-stop strategy bears a little examination. Like everyone else, he started on wets then changed to slicks. He crashed at Musee, came in and got back on the wet-shod bike. Only it now had a slick in the back. Don't the rules state that you must go out on different tyres from those you came in on? Well, sort of.

The more you look at Dani Pedrosa's season so far, the more astonishing his performance becomes. He's unfit, on pain killers and unhappy with his bike. Yet his charge up from 11th place was awesome to behold. He took over four seconds out of Dovizioso in the last half-dozen laps, forcing the RCV through the tricky complex that ends the lap with amazing entry speed and angles of lean then getting it upright instantly and early like Mick used to do.

Rossi's failure to win means he cannot score his 100th GP victory at Mugello. For once, his scriptwriter has failed...

Why no intermediate tyres? Bridgestone say their tyres are wide enough spectrum to cope with everything except the most exceptional of circumstances. Teams aren't allowed to cut their own inters as that would get away from the control tyre concept. Bridgestone would cut inters for all if the safety commission requires it. Although it is difficult to envisage the circumstances under which the commission's Friday meeting could have the foresight to know inters would be necessary on Sunday.

This joke is currently doing the rounds of the Spanish end of the press office:
Q: Why are Dr House and Alberto Puig so miserable?
A: They both have a bad leg and a Repsol Honda in the garage.