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The opportunity was too good to pass up and Dani Pedrosa grabbed it with both hands. His 47th career pole at Jerez tops off two days in which the Spaniard has totally dominated on the Honda, beating Marc Marquez by 0.049s. Now the race awaits.
A perfect Saturday.
“Up until now it's all gone in the right direction, especially in qualifying, where I'd been suffering recently. The key was to find the right confidence with the tyre right from the start. I was able to enjoy myself, and reach the front row with the first tyre, so i decided to try with the second. On that attempt Marc was following me, I stopped mid track and he did the same. We were alone, he was lying in pole and we took each other on, I gave it my all and in the end I was able to set the best time”.
How are you feeling about the tyres ahead of the race?
“Today we've tested all the compounds and need to understand which will be best, we may still make changes to the bike, perhaps looking to do something in tomorrow's warm-up”.
Will Rossi and Vinales be in the mix?
“Sure, this is a Yamaha track, Both have a good bike, and Rossi has always been fast at Jerez. He's very consistent and his M1 is less physical than the Honda”.
Everyone's asking what's changed in Dani Pedrosa.
“There are various things, like my training, race approach and the different team. The same goes for the tyres. The 2016 season was extreme we could say, as we suffered on several occasions. Now things are back to normal”.
This time Marc Marquez has to settle for second place. The Spaniard looks confident though, especially in terms of race pace.
“I'm pleased with second place, as I've suffered at Jerez in the past. During qualifying I quickly felt comfortable with the tyres. The strategy was to use three, but in the end I saw Rossi and Maverick waiting for me, so I chose to wait as well”.
You followed Dani.
"I wanted to understand how he was riding in certain sections. He's been fast all weekend in sector three, I wanted to see how he deals with turns eight and nine. I tried to push to the max, even risking a crash, but I'm pleased”.
The move at turn 12 was incredible. were you surprised?
“Yes, I have to say I was a little shaken. I lost concentration, as i was already thinking about the next corner”.
The Yamahas are playing catch-up. Will that be the case in the race too?
“It seems like Maverick has better pace. You can never rule someone like Rossi out though, he'll be up there. Also the pace is always slower on Sunday than in practice, I have to say I'm feeling at ease after the difficulties of the past”.
Your brother's on pole.
“I'm happy for him, it would be great to have done the same, but there you go. he worked hard over winter and deserves this result”
What will he need to beat Morbidelli?
“He needs to keep the same mentality and race pace. The win is important, but so is second or third. The podium is key”.
