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Once upon a time, Jerez and its corners seemed to have been designed just for the Yamaha, but the fairy tale ended this weekend with 3 Hondas ahead of the rest in qualifying and the Yamahas trying to chase them down. Viñales and Zarco limited the damage by getting on the second row, whereas Valentino will open up the third.
“Overall it did not go badly. The feelings in the saddle improved and I maintained a fairly good pace, albeit not fantastic - Rossi commented on the free practice sessions - Unfortunately, in qualifying I was unable to do a perfect lap, so staying in the top 5 was not possible.”
And on the other hand?
“I am not happy with this third row that complicates the race, but when I need to push I still do not feel perfectly at ease. I still have problems going into corners. This is why the work we do from now until the race starts will be important, including the warm up.”
It seems that tomorrow the temperatures will rise…
“On paper, if it is hotter it will be worse for us. At the moment I am a bit worried about the performance of the Hondas. We are struggling more than they are and Pedrosa, Marquez and Crutchlow have a better pace. If the Yamahas were faster in the first two races, now the situation is reversed.”
What happened?
“With the new engine, the Honda improved a lot. It is more similar to ours and it is easier to ride. They did a good job.”
And why, on this track, do they make such a difference?
“Sometimes we forget, but in MotoGP, the tyres are the master.”
Are you referring to the old carcass?
“We will all test it on Monday and it will be important, but it changes little. What makes the big difference is which tyres are chosen GP to GP. In the first two they were better for us and now they are better for the Honda. There is a continuous reshuffling of the deck that makes everything more interesting.”
What is happening here in Jerez?
“In theory, for the race the hard tyres would be the best, but they do not work on our bike. We are able to be consistent, but not fast, whereas they are a very good fit for the Honda. So we will need to take the best possible advantage of the mediums.”
What is the goal for tomorrow?
“Just to do a good race and get on the podium, if I am able. There are really a lot of riders with a similar pace, including Lorenzo, Zarco and Folger, as well as the usual ones. It will be a good fight.”
VIÑALES: IF WE DO NOT IMPROVE, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW THE HONDAS - Even Viñales, for the first time this year, wrinkled his nose after his 4th place in qualifying. Not even Maverick has found all the answers he was seeking yet and he hopes that the night will bring counsel.
“The problem is in the right-handers and it is very strange because it has never happened to me before - he explained - On the right-handers I am able to push, but in the others I am not. We will need to work during the night to find a solution or tomorrow it will be difficult to follow the Hondas.”
Do you at least have an idea of what the reason might be?
“I don’t understand. In the Le Mans tests everything went well and traction seemed to be the Yamaha’s strong point. Here, on the other hand, it is impossible to get the tyres to work. They slide too much on the left side.”
Where do the Hondas gain ground?
“In the left-handers (he laughs). All joking aside, in FP4, both Marquez and Pedrosa did a lot of laps at 1’39”. I need to improve. I think that I simply have not found the right settings for this track. Fortunately, we have Valentino’s data from last year that will be able to help us.”
At this point, what about tomorrow?
“I’ll try to win, but it will be difficult. At the moment, Dani and Marc have a better pace and I don’t have the bike dialled in yet. It is true that Jerez is not one of my favourite tracks, but at the end of the day, the way the bike is working makes the difference.”
