Loris Capirossi - 2nd - "Alex has made an extraordinary race, and it's fair that he got the victory. Logically I wanted to win for my country, but as I said it has been an incredible experience to be together on the podium. I dedicate my second place to the team which works wonderfully, especially under such difficult conditions."

Max Biaggi - 3rd - “I was a bit surprised to find I was third. It was such a hard race. If you were behind someone you just can’t see a thing and it forced you to brake instinctively. And I was getting wheel spin even in sixth, just like everyone I’m sure. I had two big moments as the rain got heavier, losing the front the first time and then the rear, which is when (Alex) Criville and Rossi came by. They were going very fast and then Rossi crashed in the same spot I’d lost the front the lap before. It was so difficult that I was happy with third, for the team and the championship.”

Alex Crivillé - 4th - "The race today was like a lottery, because without any wet practice, it's a guessing game to choose the right set-up. It was a hard race, too, because it didn't only rain, it poured so much that you couldn't see a thing, and we all got soaked through and through. We missed out on a podium finish by just four tenths of a second, and considering the race went on for 45 minutes, this is just a heartbeat. I took a lot of risks on the final laps in order to get on the podium, and I even banged into Rossi and Capirossi. But, well, the result is still good and the points are very valuable as far as the championship goes, especially considering that Rossi didn't get any points, and Abe finished behind me."

Haruchika Aoki - 5th - "I raced the NSR V-twin two years ago, so I knew it's good in the wet but I never expected to do this well, now I want all the races to be in the rain!"

Sete Gibernau - 6th - "That was the first time in the rain on this bike for me, and I really didn't know what to expect. I was really cautious on the first laps after the restart, but after a time I found my pace, and I started catching up. By then I had taken a lot of water in my helmet, and for the last five laps I could barely see where I was going - my visor was completely misted up. I had to slow, but I think it was quite good just to finish this race."

Tohru Ukawa - 7th - "It was a very hard race, firstly because of the tension that built up during the break after the first heat, and more than anything, because of the weather, the rain and the low temperatures that were tough on all of us. About twelve laps from the end, I started to tremble so much that I couldn't keep the pace of the race any more. Everything got complicated, and it was very difficult to brake, accelerate and change gears. In these physical conditions, the only thing I could do was to stay concentrated and to grit my teeth until the end. I'm happy with seventh position, even just to finish the race you can call a success under such weather conditions."

Shinya Nakano - 8th - “It was my first wet race on a 500 and there was a lot to learn. Not only did we have to guess the setup for the wet I also haven’t had the opportunity to learn how to do a wet start on such a powerful bike. This was my biggest problem in the race, I was just wheel-spinning off the line. Then for the first few laps I didn’t really know how hard I could push. Hervé told me to simply treat this as a test rather than a race so I was very surprised to see I was eighth in the end.”

Norick Abe - 9th - “It sounds strange, because I crashed when I could have won the race, but I still feel I rode really well today. Where I lost the front I’d braked in exactly the same place as I had every lap before, but that time it just let go so quickly I didn’t have time to catch it. I’m sure I hit a puddle or something but it was still my mistake.”

Noriyuki Haga - 10th - “During the first leg I had some rear chatter coming through the bike, but as the laps wore on it improved and I was feeling really good just as the rain began. For the wet race I jumped on the second bike, but since I’d never raced in the wet on a 500 before it was a little hard to chose the right suspension settings. I had a good start in the second leg, and for a while I was fifth. I found the front offered good grip but I was struggling a little with the rear, and that’s why I couldn’t stay with them. Given the conditions, and my lack of experience I am happy with the result.”

José Luis Cardoso - 11th - “It was my first ride on the V-four in the wet and I found I had to be smoother than on the bike I rode last year. It meant I had to get a rhythm and not be too aggressive. It was also a little difficult to get a perfect setup because we had no base setting for the wet, so we just made everything softer. The first part I had a good start and my plan was to stay with the second group but they’re still just a little too fast for me.”

Mark Willis - 13th - "An eventful day at Mugello. It's a nice feeling to have some points on the board although we still have a lot of work to do. Had a good dice with Jay (Vincent) all race in the wet, then he crashed on the final corner. Disappointing for the team as there where another 2 points in the bag for us if he finished."

Valentino Rossi - DNF - "This has been a movie rather than a race but without a happy ending. But for sure it was exciting. Lets start from part one: Everything was proceeding very well, I was in third position and the situation was under control because neither Biaggi and Roberts could get away in the early laps which was the one thing I feared. In theory I should have got some advantage. Then the interval! In part two of the movie things began very badly - I fell on the warm up lap. I couldn't believe it because I was going so slow. I was just thinking I would stretch my leathers before the start. When I stood up I saw that the bike was seriously damaged and I didn't think it was possible with my spare bike. Luckily for me my friend Gianni Rolando was at the place where I crashed and he gave me a ride back to the pit on his scooter to get my spare bike which had exactly the same settings as my race bike. Therefore I didn't have a technical handicap. But of course, after such an unexpected crash you loose concentration. The second part was very hard because the rain was so heavy, we were running in a cloud of spray you could see almost nothing. It was not possible to see the pit board when passing the pits at 280km/h, so I had no idea about my position in the race. In the latter part of the second race I found better concentration and I lowered my lap times. I passed Criville, then Biaggi and Loris Capirossi. But at that moment I didn't know that I was in second place, it would have been a fantastic result considering the way part two had began. I crashed at the 'S' bends after the Arabiatta corner because, due to the poor vision I put my wheels on the white line. Last year at Mugello I crashed one and a half kilometres before the end of the race - today half a kilometre from the chequered flag. I will win next year! Considering the World Championship. Before this GP I was in a better position. Anyway, my advantage of 21 points is still good."

Kenny Roberts - DNF - "When Abe came by me, I had a problem with my visor fogging, and it was very difficult to see anything. I was trying to be cautious, then at the end I found I was getting closer and I started pushing. I started to catch Barros. I couldn't see much on the front straight, and basically I made a mistake at the end of the straightaway. At least I was racing for victory instead of sixth place! Before the race Michelin suggested we use a 16.5-inch tyre because it was better in the wet, and now I believe they were right."

Anthony West - DNF - "The first half of the race didn't go too well for me. I had trouble with the bike. It really wasn't carburating right and the conditions weren't the best either. We changed the suspension, but it just wasn't working for me. We had missed a complete day of set-up on Friday because of bike problems and that didn't help. When it started to rain I thought I had a good chance, but the bike still wasn't rideable in the rain. The 'carbs' weren't right. I got kicked out of the seat five or six times, nearly high-siding, and then on the straights I was getting blown away. On the last lap I did I knew there were two four-cylinder bikes in front of me. I nearly ran up the back of them and lost speed in the turns where I was quicker. In one turn I had to back right off and almost stop. Chris Walker got past me and I got right on him and I was trying to find a place to get by. I was right up behind him. Maybe I was a little too close. When he crashed I seemed to go with him. I don't know if he hit a white line and I did as well. I don't know if I hit him."

Carlos Checa - DNF - “I could already feel I had a problem on the warm-up lap and the clutch was slipping straight after the start. There was nothing I could do but pull in. It’s a shame because I felt confident racing in the wet. I had good tyres, but in the end that meant nothing.”