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The Jerez Grand Prix added to Valentino Rossi's list of disappointments. For him it was another race spent down in the doldrums of the standings, without even a few points as satisfaction. The problems are always the same and there seems to be no way to find a solution.
“It was a difficult race after a difficult weekend – was his summary - I didn't have a good pace, more or less the same speed as in practice and it wasn't enough. I tried to take home at least a few points, I was close to Petrucci and Lecuona, but when I tried to overtake Iker I went wide and lost a position to my brother too ”.
Right now he needs to get back on top and cling to some hopes, the closest possibility is tomorrow's tests…
“These are not the results I expected - he admitted - I struggled all weekend, but tomorrow we will have something to try and see if we can improve. I can't ride as hard as possible, we need to find a technical direction to follow. I hope to succeed tomorrow, we need to be optimistic and motivated ”.
The problem is that the compass cannot indicate a direction to follow…
“In theory, the new bike should be better, but I was slower than a year ago - he continued - Even the tyres should be more or less the same, instead I have less grip and this is a question mark for us too. In MotoGP everything changes quickly, of course you always want to improve, but sometimes it's not possible ”.
Yet Jerez should have been a lifeline, remembering the podium a year ago…
“In the past I had won a lot on this track - recalled Valentino - From 2016 I started to struggle, but last year I was fast. The next circuit will be Le Mans and on paper it is good for us, as is Mugello, but first let's see how it will go tomorrow ”.
Rossi can count on one thing however: the support of his team…
“Despite a difficult start, I feel great support from the team - he confirmed - This makes me very happy, I knew that being in the top positions would be difficult but I thought it would have gone better than that. I have to thank the team for their support ”.
At least his proteges, Bagnaia and Morbidelli, are giving a lot of satisfaction…
"There is a lot of Italy on the podium today, even if not on the top step - he commented - Pecco is fantastic, he is awesome, he is leading the championship and the only thing he’s missing is a win. For Franco it was an important weekend, this is his first podium of the year, and he is making a big improvement after a difficult start, from now on he will be very competitive. Having two riders from our Academy on the podium in MotoGP is no small deal”.
