English
Italiano
Not all of 2016 went as Danilo Petrucci expected it to go. The season had started with his injury during the Phillip Island tests and then there were many ups and downs. The solution of competing with Redding for the GP17 next year did not help either. At least that goal as almost been achieved.
“I have a 16-point advantage, but there is still a GP left to race - he points out - That is a good lead, but not enough. I will need to focus on staying as far ahead as possible and not let myself e conditioned by this competition. This year I have almost always been in the top 10 and I like this track well enough.”
What is the goal?
“To finish a difficult year with peace of mind. A lot has happened. My only goal was to bring home more points than Scott in order to earn a factory bike next year.”
Looking back, do you have any regrets?
“There were times when I just didn’t have good luck. Maybe my season would have been different if the bike hadn’t stopped at Assen. That was the first time I had the feeling that I could win. Then I made a big mistake at the Sachsenring, out of over-eagerness. I did 10 laps in the lead, but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to humiliate everyone. I was too conceited and I paid for it. Those were two episodes that conditioned my season.”
Will having the GP17 bring things back into balance?
“I do not want to let this chance slip through my fingers. This year, Scott only finished ahead of me in two races. On one hand, there really no reason to worry, because I have already shown that I am faster.”
However, in recent races it looked like you were struggling, even in the rain at Sepang…
“I never had the right feeling in that race. I tried to stay up. It is not a given that I can win every time it rains. My rivals certainly are not waiting around for me. I was disappointed, but I would have needed to take too big a risk.”
The competition with Redding did not have an influence as well?
“I know that we can only win in particular conditions. In the dry it is practically impossible for a satellite team. Of course, when you have a direct competition with another rider, you are thinking of other things, even though I tried not to. When you have to risk, like at Sepang, I prefer finishing 10th in relative safety, rather than trying to come in 6th.”
Did this competition bring your performance levels down?
“It’s difficult to say. Maybe there were times when we could have done better, but we focused more on keeping one another in check. It was a chaotic year for me. I missed four races and then there was this competition with Scott that put on the pressure.”
Are you not satisfied?
“Scott has managed to finish on the podium, but I have not yet. This has been my hardest year in MotoGP… and I even raced with Ioda (he laughs).”
The positive sides?
“This direct competition also helped me, because I was not accustomed to racing with an eye on the standings. It was a great lesson because it taught me to stay focused under pressure.”
Did this compensate for the negative sides?
“I don’t know how heavily this competition weighed on my performance. It was a combination of things. I really do not know if I could have done better.”
What was the problem then?
“I always had the idea of giving 100% in my mind, but riding a bike is like an art: it takes inspiration. It is not enough just to be physically fit; it takes a good heat too, because most of the time your subconscious is doing the riding. Like at Aragón, when I did 6 laps without even realizing it after the contact. If you have something eating you, if you don’t have your head together, you risk getting hurt regardless.”
