Marc is not optimistic here either. Eddie Ellis
Thursday March 25, 2021
2021 starts now! The Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar officially got us going at the Losail International Circuit. The pre-event press conference welcomed reigning MotoGP ™ World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) at the helm. He was joined by the new Repsol Honda Team rider Pol Espargaro, Jack Miller from the Ducati Lenovo Team, Fabio Quartararo from Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP when he settled down, the nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi; Now in the SRT colors of Petronas Yamaha and Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini after impressing last season for the Noale factory.
Joan Mir: “I am so happy to be here again. Last year we had a really good season, a dream to reach the championship. We are here in Qatar, everyone is starting from scratch and it will be important to feel great here. The test wasn’t bad, but we have work to do. We’re looking forward to this season and have a big challenge ahead of us to defend the title. We’re going to do the best we can, so let’s see.
“The engine is the same and so is the bike. There isn’t a big change to the bike, it will really be important to keep the consistency but improve the speed to win more races. This will be the main goal. “
The number 36 was also asked about the departure of former Suzuki Ecstar team manager Davide Brivio:
“I think Davide did a great job putting every piece in the right place on this team. We showed that we can win. Mainly, Suzuki doesn’t move anyone or try to replace Davide. We don’t miss him and I hope he will have good luck in F1. “
Pol Espargaro: “It was a difficult start to the season because we just had four days of testing. It was worse for the rookies, but it wasn’t the best preseason for the guys who changed bikes either. Despite those four days, I felt fine on the last day and was able to do something interesting with the pace of the race, at least to think about where to take part in the race. On one lap we weren’t far from Jack Miller, we know he’s very fast, Fabio and Maverick too, but I think we still have a lot to learn and it will be a little difficult, but we’ll enjoy the first race of the season.
“In the past, when I heard someone say that this bike was very difficult, I always thought the same thing. For me, a bike with one manufacturer can be very difficult, and for a rider with a riding style that is better than this, it can be easier. For me the Honda is certainly not the easiest, but I disagree that it is the most difficult bike on the grid. They just have to match the riding style of the bike and it feels like I did that a bit in the test. I don’t know how much I have achieved as it is difficult to judge how much I am connected to the bike after four days. I would take this idea up, the bike is difficult and I want to start being positive, being proactive and trying to make things happen. From here in Qatar it’s not the best place for Honda or me but the test has been pretty positive but we’ll try to see what we can do in the first few races even if we’re still beginners with this bike. ”
Jack Miller: “I feel ready for the way I’ll be, we didn’t get that big a break, I went back to Australia a bit, but not as much as I want. The preseason went well, I didn’t have a big move, just a garage was over, I already knew a lot of the guys so we got on straight away. The test times were good, but we can’t think too much about it, the conditions were perfect. We’re going to be starting from scratch here again, it’s going to be a little different with Dunlop rubber on the track than Moto2 and Moto3 so we’re going to come in openly.
“I think there is a lot more hype than if I had beaten the times with Pramac last year. Sure there is extra pressure there, we haven’t had a lot of time to feel it, everything has been relatively good so far, it hasn’t been difficult so when it gets difficult we’ll see the pressure go down, but other than that, everything feels a step up. It’s nice to have more stuff. You don’t feel the full benefit of doing a test over four days on the same route. Just in the first couple of exits, I noticed that with the people around me we were able to adapt and overcome other problems that had taken more time in the past. “
Fabio Quartararo: “I think the last year and the end of the season were difficult, but I think I learned a lot of things that can bring me a lot of experience for the future and this year. It feels high and low, but I feel ready for 2021 and I think that’s the most important thing.
“In your first year you think about winning, but your goals are to fight for the top five. But when you’re in the factory, you can’t fight for the top 5. It’s clear that everyone here wants to fight for the championship. Last year I had a factory bike but you see a bit more people on the team and more responsibility for developing the bike but in general I feel good. The test was great, we tested a lot of things and everything went well. I’m more than just under pressure now, I’m really looking forward to the weekend! “
Valentino Rossi: “The atmosphere on the Thursday of the first race is always the same as on the first day of school. It’s always exciting, even for the pictures together on the grid, you get the feeling that we’re starting in a few hours. I changed teams after a long, long time, but I feel good. The atmosphere is good and the test wasn’t too bad, now we have to see it in a real race weekend.
“In the works team, but also in the Petronas team, everyone gives their maximum, so you have the pressure. The difference is the number of people around the bike, but for me the atmosphere in the works team was good too, it’s not a big change. I am very happy to have Franco as my teammate because we are good friends, we spend a lot of time together in Tavullia to train, but also free time and he is one of the best riders in MotoGP at the moment as he has shown last year. For me it’s good, it’s a great motivation to fight with him. “
Aleix Espargaro: “I hope it is, but you never know, a test is a test. The races are completely different and after Moto2 and Moto3 the track will change. We’re not going to start from scratch, but we have some things to change somewhere. The test was good, the RS-GP 21 looks genuinely promising, but we have to race and compare ourselves with the others. I’m sure everyone will improve for the race. It won’t be easy, but I’m very motivated and I feel like I have the chance to fight with the best. That gives me positive energy and I can’t wait to wait for the first RP.
“I’m very happy. In the last few years we have taken steps to get closer to the top bikes and Aprilia has taken an important step that will be very helpful for the future. And Dovizioso is not just a talented and fast one Driver but also a very good test driver. He did a great job at Ducati. In the last few seasons he has won races and fought for the title so he can give us good feedback and help us a lot. I can hardly do it expect him to try the bike in Jerez and see his reaction and how he likes the bike and sees the weak spots because I will be six years on this bike and it will be fresh and new and give a new perspective. “
Back to the news