Even if he's still far from the performance of his neighbor in the pits Nicolò Bulega, Iker Lecuona ended the two test days at Phillip Island with a smile and a good dose of confidence before the first real event on the calendar. Coming in eighth at the end of Tuesday, the Spanish rider said he was satisfied with the work carried out and the progress made as the laps went by.
"Honestly, I'm very happy, considering I wasn't able to do much during the previous sessions or, at least, not in good conditions. Nonetheless, I know that my winter will end on Sunday. I have to thank the team for not putting pressure on me for the race. If the bike is new to them, imagine how it is for me. In fact, in the past four editions, I was only able to compete in the first one, because with Honda in the last two years, I first dislocated my shoulder and then broke my foot. So there's room for improvement. Here, I reached ninety percent of my potential. I tried to not overdo it and rode safely. Each lap helped me improve, make mistakes, and go back in terms of choices. I think we finally found the right direction. Both the team and I are satisfied. I, in particular, feel calm. I showed that I have good pace and that I worked alone without references," the rider from Valencia said, as he analyzed the situation.
Switching from Honda to Ducati also means dealing with a different work approach.
"Absolutely. You can feel the difference in mentality, too. The Japanese are more closed than Europeans, so it's more difficult to work with them. Since my arrival last October after my injury, the Italians have encouraged me to take it easy, maybe do three laps and not push too hard. Clearly, we're just at the beginning, and the results have yet to come. But we'll get there with time. Without stress."
What, specifically, are the differences between the Honda and Ducati garages?
"In everything. The mentality, the approach, the way situations are handled, the internal mood. Here, it's a family. There aren't two sides to the garage. That helps. It surprised me, and I'm happy about it."
So is it easier to feel at ease?
"I don't want to comment."
What are your expectations for the weekend?
"I'm not thinking about it. I tried to focus on the tests, analyze the information, and ask the team for help with the things I was less satisfied with or that I was doing wrong. I'm still learning, so I have to stay calm. Then we'll see. According to the forecast, it should rain on Sunday afternoon during the race."
The rain requires a particular understanding of the bike.
"Given the winter we've had, I think I know the bike's behavior better when it's wet than when it's dry. But this is a tricky track when it rains, also because of the wind, so I'll try to take it easy and just finish the race."
Are you and Bautista still on good terms after you took his bike?
"Yes, absolutely. Everything is fine between us."