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Mugello has worked its magic once again. Yesterday Valentino was, by his own admission, sore and confused about his bike’s performance. The night had a miraculous effect and today the Doctor took home second place in front of his fans with less pain and an M1 compliant with his commands.
“It was a difficult week after the injury on the cross bike and I am quite sincere when I say that until Thursday I thought it would be impossible for me to race and I felt very sad. Being here is a gift and I will have to give it my all for my fans” he said.
Yesterday you were not optimistic.
“It was a difficult day. The pain made it difficult for me to concentrate and I was also concerned about the bike. After Le Mans, it was important to understand if we had gone in the right direction.”
What happened today?
“We knew we had the cards to play. We made some good changes and I was able to be fast. I only made one mistake in FP4 at the Correntaio corner where I went wide, ending up on the dirt and I fell, but fortunately I was on the second bike, the one that I liked less.”
Has your physical condition improved too?
“I do not feel pain any more when I’m riding, but I need more time to regain my strength. For tomorrow I am hoping for further improvement, like what happened between yesterday and today.”
Do you have any idea of what your physical stamina might be?
“First of all, Mugello is a physical track and so is the way a MotoGP bike rides, so racing here with the heat is hard even when you are at perfect fitness. As far as I am concerned, right now I am struggling 15 or 20% more than normal. Tomorrow it will be important to be fast and at the same time to conserve my strength for the finale, although it will not be simple.”
Will the adrenaline of the race help?
“Certainly, it always makes a big difference. Also, this is a special track. I am lucky and I have a lot of fans all over the world, but here you can see them as you ride.”
What is your goal?
“I would like to battle for the podium, we’ll see how I am.”
How do you think the race will go?
“There are a lot of riders that can battle for the podium, if not for the win – at least 6 or 7. I am thinking of the Ducatis, the Hondas and Viñales is the favourite.”
Does having such a strong teammate keep you young?
“I would prefer to have slower rivals (he laughs). For many years I shared the garage with Lorenzo and Maverick is perhaps even faster. On one hand it makes everything more difficult, but on the other it is good for keeping motivation high.”
