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MotoGP, Iannone: now I know I can manage the pain

On qualifying: "I chose the wrong tyre, we paid for the session lost yesterday. With a little improvement, I can fight for the podium"

Iannone: now I know I can manage the pain

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After missing four races, it was important for Iannone to understand whether time had erased some of his shine. After qualifying at Sepang, the answer is, fortunately, negative. Sixth in the rain suits him find, also because he didn't ride in the wet yesterday.

I paid for having missed yesterday's session - he comments - It wasn't easy to find good sensations in the wet. Despite this, I'm pleased with my performance, second row is fine after a month's break and even in the dry, earlier today, I went well”.

What were you missing?
After FP4 we totally changed the setting for qualifying and took the wrong route, we were only 50% sorted with the electronics. We collected more information though and can improve. Then there are the tyres".

In what sense?
Not having tested them yesterday, I didn't know what to expect. I went out on the soft, but you can only really exploit it for the first two laps, while I was still trying to ascertain the track conditions”.

Why didn't you use the hard?
I'd tested it in FP4, but only for one lap and it slid around a lot. We understood too late that that tyre only comes into its own after 4 or 5 laps.

How do you feel physically?
I thought I'd feel worse. I haven't used painkillers yesterday or today and there is some pain, I can't ride exactly as I want to. It increases in the evening especially”.

Will you need something for the race?
I'll have to use painkillers, I think I'll be able to manage the situation”.

How well can you do?
No-one knows their real potential or that of our rivals, we haven't done many consecutive laps. I'd prefer a dry race and, in that case, I think I can fight for a place between fourth and sixth. But, if we can improve a little, I could also fight for the podium. It will be a complicated race but I can defend myself, I have to start with my feet on the ground ”.

Did you have braking problems in the wet?
The steel ones heat up too much and after a few laps it's hard to slow down and braking becomes spongy. But we can't use the carbon ones as they don't work if they get wet”.

Translated by Heather Watson
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