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MotoGP, Bautista "I had realized even yesterday that I was competitive"

Best result of the season in qualifying for Alvaro and Aprilia: "Tomorrow I will be ready for anything", Bradl: "Bad timing"

Bautista "I had realized even yesterday that I was competitive"

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It was a Saturday that the Aprilia camp will not soon forget. In qualifying this afternoon, Alvaro Bautista gave his best performance of the season, earning the ninth spot on the starting grid, thanks to a time of 2'12"325. He will therefore start from the third row alongside the Suzuki machines piloted by Espargarò and Viñales.  

I am happy because yesterday we had already realized that I could go through to Q2 and be competitive. Today we did a good job. I feel very comfortable with the bike, no matter what the track conditions are, and this is particularly important for the race.”

You showed that you are competitive. Now what do you expect for the race?

“In qualifying, with respect to FP4, I felt a bit less traction, but we were able to earn a good starting position anyway. I am not setting any goals for tomorrow, because the key to everything will be the weather conditions. From this point of view, we are well prepared for the various possibilities."

On the other side of the garage, things did not go exactly as expected. In fact, Stefan Bradl struggled in the difficult conditions, to the point of not going through to Q2. He will start from the sixteenth spot on the grid.

Today we were not very lucky in terms of timing. The need to map the engine with new specifications cost us a few laps. I think this is a determining factor, since in these conditions you develop the feeling by staying on the track as much as possible.”

Are you aiming for redemption in the race?

“In any case, I am pleased with the basic setup we have. On this track there are plenty of places to overtake and our pace is definitely better than the sixteenth place earned today, both in the wet and on a dry track."

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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