From 23rd to 8th, that's right. Axel Bassani was the star of a super comeback in Race 1 at Aragon, which put him into the top ten. Unfortunately for him, he had to start from the back of the grid, because he was penalized for not respecting the yellow flags when Lowes fell in the FP2 on Friday.
The glass is half full, but Axel's isn't very happy about this Saturday.
"I think it was a fun race," he began. "Mentally, figuring out the moment to overtake was complicated, since there aren't many points here in Aragon, especially for us who suffer in the straights. In fact, we risk more than the others."
How do you judge the penalty?
"Yesterday, Alex fell, and I arrived at the point of his fall six seconds later. His bike was already over the barriers, and I couldn't brake more than I was already doing, because I would've ended up on the ground at that point. In the end, though, I just have to accept the decision, and that's okay."
If you hadn't started from behind, where would you have arrived?
"I would've arrived in exactly the same position." he said, smiling. "Joking aside, I think it was a fun race. The fact is that we always have the same pace, and I'd be relieved if I could go like Lowes. In the end, that's what my morale is, which isn't the best."
But you were dictating the pace at the beginning of the year.
"The bikes are the same, but there are two different teams working on them."
What's your assessment of Toprak's title race?
"Toprak had never won here in Aragon. It was the only track he was missing. If he had to prove and confirm for the umpteenth time who the strongest is, I think he did it."