Second just over four tenths behind leader Nicolò Bulega, Andrea Iannone made a good start to his second year with the Go Eleven team in SBK. On the Jerez de la Frontera track, venue for the first winter tests, the Abruzzo rider completed 59 laps without encountering any particular critical issue.
You started off on the right foot....
"Yes, calmly and quietly as we had finished last season. The cool weather helped us to go well, however it is only the first day. It went well, but you have to be cautious. Personally, I never liked being winter champion."
How did you feel compared to 12 months ago?
"Having a foundation helps. In 2024 it was more complex. Back then I was starting from scratch unlike the others and it had been all a chase, however it doesn't mean anything. We will have to try to work well and amalgamate with the newly arrived staff, starting with the new mechanic Ufo. In testing you have a lot of time and that makes things easier, but when a pawn is inserted in a group you have to find the synergy again. Even with the new electronics I got along well. It's not that we did a lot since I was coming from a good race weekend at this track and with a good base already. Today it was important to get to know each other and I must say we understand each other. We will have to see if when there are problems we will be able to solve them together."
What are the feelings?
"Overall I am positive and rightly so. I hope that that extra experience we have will lead us to have the consistency we missed last year because of the many changes, starting with some circuits. In any case, only at Donington and Magny-Cours in the rain did I do worse than eighth. For the rest we will see. We are here and this is important."
Petrucci stated that you and Bulega in the middle of the corners are awesome. Are there things you have improved?
"Actually for now I can't do everything as well as I would like and we need to work on that area as well, however we are just at the beginning. We are starting with a different bike this time than we did at the beginning of last year's championship, maybe someone already had the bike from the beginning of this year last year."