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The first day of free practice showcased the Italian bikes, with Ducati and Aprilia sharing most of the first rows, with the exception of Quartararo’s Yamaha. Despite his broken wrist – after the accident he had with Nakagami at Montmelò – Alex Rins still rode, scoring an 11th best time behind his garage mate. Not a very surprising result considering the pain the Spanish rider complained about after such a short time from his accident.
"My wrist hurts more than I expected,” Alex explained. “In the FP1, the pain was bearable. I was hoping the situation would improve after warming up, but it got worse instead. Tomorrow, after the FP3, we’ll decide with Livio and the rest of the team if I should continue. I think that, right now, finishing all the laps of the race would be difficult in these conditions."
Can you tell us about the fall?
”It was a strange fall. I was coming from two laps after the yellow flag at turn one, so maybe the edge of the tires wasn’t at the right temperature, and I lost the front."
Is your wrist pain the main problem or is there something else?
”It's mostly my wrist. In turn in, my performance is the same as Joan’s. Even better in some cases. The problem obviously arises when braking, when my wrist is subjected to stress. I'm on painkillers, but I'm having a hard time doing four laps. It's not a constant pain, but I feel the pins and needles. We also had some grip issues, but I can’t say that’s the main problem.”
Did you get a chance to try out the new fairing?
”I didn't get a chance. I think it's going be hard to do it here at the Sachsenring. Joan had the opportunity to try both new options at the Montmelò tests and chose the one he thought was best. In my case, I can still opt for the second option. Joan and I don’t need to use the same fairing. Obviously, it would be a gamble. We have to choose carefully, because we can't take any more risks."
How do the two fairings differ?
"The first option is quite similar to the one we already used. The second is more radical, but I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll choose the first. I don't want to take unnecessary risks, also because we don't have concessions for other tests."
Did you get a chance to cross paths with Nakagami on the track? Have you forgiven him?
"In both rounds, I lined up with other riders. I didn't get a chance to cross his path. On the track, I just think about concentrating and doing my job. There's no time to think about anything else. He's just another rider to beat at the end of the game."
