Both Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi had a difficult start to the Czech GP, crossing the line at the end of lap 1 much further back than their qualifying positions and both having chosen the harder option rear tyre. That seemed a mistake in the first few laps, before the rubber began to come into its own and both riders started to make a big impression on the timesheets – with Rossi eventually crossing the line in P2. Lorenzo, who was at one stage out of the points-scoring positions, also started to see his laptimes drop dramatically as the rear tyre choice began to pay off, and moved back up into the top ten on an impressive charge. Then, with seven laps to go, the reigning champion seemed to make a huge gamble – and came into pitlane to change bikes.