MotoGP, Rins: “I didn't ask Marquez for advice, I did my own stuff”

Second in qualifying and second in the Sprint Race, the number 2 brought luck to Alex Rins in Texas. If we want to see the glass half empty, we could say that he was beaten twice by Bagnaia. But this can’t be a problem for the LCR team’s Spanish rider right now. On a track that he loves (in 2019 he won the GP and came in 2nd last year), he got his first satisfaction on the Honda, clearly surpassing his teammates, Mir and Nakagami (12th and 13th).

“It was a good day, both in qualifying and in the sprint,” Rins said smiling. “I gave it my all in the race. I immediately tried to overtake Pecco, because I had a great pace, but he passed me again, and then I went wide, because it’s difficult to stop the bike in the heat. The front wheel would get stuck.”

However, Alex managed to grab his first podium on the Honda. A bike that he’s still figuring out and one that’s not easy to tame.

“It’s not like the Suzuki. In the chicane, it’s more demanding. I have to use more force to be fast,” he observed. “We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. We definitely have a good bike, but I didn’t expect it to be so hot today.  The electronics aren’t at one hundred percent, yet. But we have data to work on. Today’s sprint was very fast. Tomorrow we’ll have to worry more about the tires.”

Even on the straight, against Bagnaia, he suffered.

“I was lucky to have Aleix behind me and not a Ducati,” Alex admitted. “It’s not so much a matter of top speed, but of traction and aerodynamics. Coming out of the slow corners, my bike was swaying, and the controls were cutting down power. That’s where we need to improve.”

With Marquez at home, Honda still saved face on a track where he had often dominated in the past.

“I didn’t speak to Marc to ask him about Austin’s secrets on the RC213V,” Alex specified. “I did my own stuff and, what you saw today, I’m convinced you’ll see again on other tracks.”

His last comment was on the Sprint Race, which wasn’t calmer than the previous ones, but without risky maneuvers.

“I think that the calmness on the part of the riders was due to the circuit,” where Alex’s thoughts. “There are points to overcome here, but not as many as in Portimão. Also, it was very hot today and, when I braked behind someone, I felt the front wheel lock up.”