He couldn't do more than he did. After his extraordinary Superpole race victory in the morning, Toprak Razgatlioglu had to play defense, snatching an 8th place. But he's aware about what he experienced in Race 2.
In his opinion, the reason for this lack of competitiveness stems from the tires Pirelli brought.
"I'm really surprised by this Sunday," he said. "I'm talking about the tires, of course. With eight laps to go, I experienced crazy wear, especially on the right side. What can I say. I smiled. We used the new SC0, but it didn't work with the BMW. I tried to do my best, maximizing the result."
How do you explain it?
"Unfortunately, with these conditions, I don't have an advantage. Plus, I thought I was fast in the end, but I also blistered. I was lucky yesterday because, with four more laps, I would've finished eighth."
What do you think about Bulega's withdrawl? Did you see anything?
"I honestly don't know anything. I didn't get a chance to see because I was far away. I can only say that I had zero grip."
Do you think this weekend could be a snapshot of the Championship?
"Bulega was really great. He could've also won race two. I just tried to do my best. I have nothing to say to my team. If this is our potential, it's because of the rules. This is all I can do with the current rules. If they change the rules, I think something might change for us, too. In fact, the feeling is completely different than a year ago."
What do you expect from Cremona?
"I think it's going to be another weekend like this one. I can't say more, considering that I watched the race from home last year. I was fast in the tests, but the Ducati is much more competitive than last year."
Yesterday, you said this would be Ducati's year.
"I remember that well! When I said that, Ducati started having problems. At the end of the day, this is a sport where mechanics matter, and I feel really bad when a bike stops. It happened to Nicolò, like me at Phillip Island."