English
Italiano
8th place, third row, and another difficult Saturday for Joan Mir and Suzuki. The Spanish rider on Davide Brivio team’s bike, as we’ve said over and over again, is the one who’s in the best of shape of the lot at the moment, because he’s coming from three podiums in four races and has shown that he can be really consistent with just the right amount of malice in overtaking to be able to conquer the positions that matter. But his problem in qualifying remains. 8th today, 11th last week in Misano 2, 8th in the first GP on the Riviera, 4th and 6th in the two Austrian events. A meager booty for those racing in a world championship.
“I’m not happy with today’s qualification. I still can’t get a clean lap. It seems like Suzuki doesn’t have the speed to reach the pole position, We need to work harder.”
Mir was complaining about problems in Misano when braking, due to a difficult balance between the rear and the front in terms of pumping and pushing. Did you have the same problems today?
“No, or rather, that wasn’t the main problem of the day. Our bike suffers too much when we put on new tires. Normally, with tires that aren’t worn, the bike’s problems are masked, In our case, it’s the opposite and that’s why I’m struggling in qualifying. We’ll improve in the future. I’m sure of it.”
You suffer with new tires, in qualifying but also in the first laps of the race. How do you think tomorrow’s race will go? What do you expect?
“Yes, but I feel great with a worn tire, even on this track, which doesn’t have the same grip as we had at Misano. We’ll all struggle in the last ten laps, and we’ll handle the situation at our best. I have a good pace, but to end this weekend in the best possible way, we need to have an intelligent race.”
Now you’re fighting for the world championship with Dovizioso, Quartararo, and Vinales, riders who are almost forced to win. Do you think being the outsider of this group can help you?
“I’m certainly a little more hidden than the others, and this certainly leads to less pressure but, in my case, it’s not like that. I always race under the same pressure, and I think it’s a bit like that for all those who are fighting for the world championship, but maybe those who have been here for several years have more because they feel they can finally win the championship. I’m not a rookie, but almost.”
What happened with Maverick today?
“I was waiting to be alone on the track, and I made a mistake, because I saw that Maverick was behind me. I disturbed him in the first sector and I apologized.”
Are you surprised to see Alex so far behind in the rankings?
“We’re not the best bike for qualifying. Alex is also struggling in pace and in the races. I’m not surprised to see him fighting to enter the Q2 because he’s always there, even though he usually manages to pass the cut. In this case, he didn’t succeed, but I don’t think he’ll have any particular problem.”
