MotoGP, Rossi: we took a wrong path

Valentino Rossi shakes his head, not pleased with the afternoon's session. He'd made a good start at Motegi but in the second free practice the wind changed and his sails deflated. An incorrect tyre choice on the one side, but also a wrong direction in terms of set-up.

“The afternoon was tough - he confirms - I put in harder tyres and they had no grip, which caused me to lose a little confidence. Then I went out on the softer tyres to set a time and was able to improve but I'm not happy”.

Why?
“I couldn't find a good setting or balance, we made some quite significant changes but I didn't like them”.

What's the main problem?
“Braking, I can't stop the bike as I want to. Tomorrow we'll take a different path”.

Is this also down to tyres?
“Braking is where the Michelins differ most from the Bridgestones and the difference is really clear at this track. You could really assault the Bridgestones and they'd remain stable but with these tyres you have to be more careful”.

Is there a serious limitation?
“In truth the Michelins are fine, the times are similar to those of last year”.

There have been a lot of crashes though…
“I think one of the reasons was the sudden temperature trip in the afternoon. I'm sorry about Dani's accident, and wish him a speedy recovery ”.

With regard to the race, do you already have a plan re tyres?
“I think the soft is the best option at the rear, while the front is more about personal preference. Anyway the compounds I used for the fast lap can also go race distance”.