Thirteenth in the morning and ninth in pre-qualifying Franco Morbidelli filed the first day in Holland with a smile despite not missing a chilling moment that, fortunately, had no consequences.
"I'm fine, although it was a high-speed crash. Probably, for that moment of the day, and in those conditions, the medium front tire wasn't the right tire, and all the falls proved it. On cold weather weekends, having so few softs can be a problem, so I think we'll talk about it, even though we've already talked about it. As for me, I'm glad I didn't get hurt, since finishing on the ground with cold tires often leads to physical damage," the VR46 rider said.
Beyond the unfortunate episode, the two rounds weren't totally useless. "In general, it was a Friday in line with the last four, five, therefore, difficut but with chances for a good time attack so we could enter the Q2, which was the goal. Let's say that, compared to other situations, there were positive details, such as the speed with the medium on the rear and the worn soft on the front, as well as the sensations felt with bike two, which I shouldn't have used and, that, instead, allowed me to get into the Q2, even if narrowly. So, we have to continue to work and improve, like we usually do, knowing that there's been progress compared to the past weekends, even if the the foundation still needs to be improved, but that's what we're doing," he stated.
In conclusion, regarding the plan for the next two days, he commented: "Working and getting as much as we can. In any case, I have a lot of confidence in our potential. If it were hotter? That would be better. Let's hope so."