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The lap in qualifying was extraordinary, just 84 thousandths from Marquez’s record, but Valentino does not feel much like celebrating. His thoughts are already on the race and a fast time is not enough to erase his doubts.
“I pulled the rabbit from the hat. That time was a surprise for me too and that is not good news - the Doctor admits - I would say that lap is a child of yesterday, when I felt good on the bike and had sized up the right references. Today did not go as well.”
What happened?
“Yesterday we had arrived at a good level, but when we tried to go beyond that and improve, we were unable to do so and that worries me.”
Is the rain that fell during the night to blame, worsening track conditions?
“That would be the most logical thing. Today the temperatures were lower and when the track is in less than perfect conditions, we struggle. This is another area to work on for the future. However, if I’m completely honest, it seemed to me that the asphalt had more grip today than yesterday.”
So what is the goal for tomorrow?
“At the most, I’ll battle for the 3rd step of the podium, provided everything goes well. Right now, Marquez and Crutchlow are clearly 2 or 3 tenths faster in terms of pace, and then I am in a big group of riders behind them.”
Are you thinking about Ducati?
“Yes, Dovizioso and Lorenzo have a pace similar to mine, as do Viñales, Zarco, and I haven’t forgotten Pedrosa.”
What worries you?
“The problem is always the same one: rear tyre wear. We are able to be fast in the initial phases of the race, but then we run into trouble.”
You still have the warm up. It will be later than usual…
“I’ll get an extra hour of sleep and that could change my whole day (he laughs). All joking aside, the conditions will be similar to race conditions and we will try something different. We will try to patch things up, but then we’ll need to work with the Yamaha engineers to solve the problems for the future.”
Ducati and Honda have a third factory bike. Wouldn’t that be useful for you too?
“Crutchlow does do a lot of work, even testing on different tracks. There are pros and cons. With our bike, Folger and Zarco would also have fun (he laughs).”
Viñales admitted that he has an eye on Tech3 for tyre choice…
“I look at their data sometimes too because I like to understand the reason behind certain results. Tyre choice is very personal, though. Plus, Zarco has a completely different riding style than mine, whereas Folger is more similar.”
Everyone says that it will be a very physical race. Is your age a limitation in this sense?
“Unfortunately, every year it is more and more difficult, but more training is all it takes. Riding a MotoGP bike is undoubtedly tiring, but I don’t feel like I am in any worse shape. Plus, in the race other factors come into play. For example, a good set up or the adrenaline rush when you are battling for a good position makes everything easier.”
