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Things could not have gone much worse. The Sachsenring in autumn version (in terms of temperatures) was a Kobarid for Yamaha. There is not even one M1 in the top ten positions after the first day of practice. Espargarò and Smith finished 11th and 12th, with the official bikes finishing 14th (Valentino) and 16th (Lorenzo).
“It was a difficult day. The bad weather made everything harder and more dangerous”, Rossi commented.
What was the biggest problem?
“The soft tyre was too hard for such low temperatures, but no one could have expected this cold. You had to be very careful. In the morning I started well, but then it began to rain. In the afternoon I tried something different, which I did not like, but above all I was forced to mount used tyres.”
Was it a big limitation?
“I had bad feelings. I wasn’t able to push and it was clear that if I did I would have crashed.”
At the end you put new tyres on, though…
“But I ran into traffic and caught the chequered flag by a few seconds. If I had been able to take another lap I could have improved, although my potential was nothing special. All the Yamahas are struggling and I wasn’t able to push 100%. Hopefully tomorrow the weather will improve.”
The cold is to blame for everything?
“When the asphalt is below 20°, MotoGP tyres do not work. Today, even after 6 or 7 laps, they were still cold. We would have needed a softer tyre, but no one could have expected such low temperatures. If they were to rise, everything would be easier.”
In the meantime, Marquez is out front…
“Marc has won a lot here and he is fast. I must not think of him, but of myself. The important thing is being competitive on Sunday. 5° higher would be enough. We could be faster and aim for the podium. Today I had to ride at 80% in the right-handers, so it stands to reason that there is a gap at the end.”
The Sachsenring has still not renewed its contract for the future. Would you prefer racing elsewhere?
“I like the track. The only problem is turn 11. I rode at Hockenheim some time ago with a DTM car and I liked it. I also tried the Nürburgring in a car and I liked it less.”
