For Valentino Rossi it will be uphill again on Sunday, who will go from 16th place on the grid to the Sachsering. We can say this hasn’t been new lately, but it’s going to be even harder than usual to get back to such a tight and twisty track. In Germany, all drivers except Quartararo have struggled, and Morbidelli and Vinales will start even further back.
“Over the past few days I’ve heard and read that this would be a good track for Yamaha, but honestly I didn’t remember it being so.“Said the doctor with a smile. “We’ve had some good results over the past few years, but this is a circuit with long left turns where the tires warm up and the M1 is suffering a lot. The opponents have also improved. In fact, there are a lot of different bikes in the first two rows. Quartararo is strong, but the other Yamahas are struggling. “
What is your situation
“Better than yesterday, both in terms of my sensations on the bike and in terms of the pace. Even in the third sector, I suffered less. But as always, everyone is very fast and close, so I start in sixteenth and there are a lot of top drivers at the bottom of the grid. Now we have to keep working on improving small details. “
What do you expect from the race?
“It’s going to be difficult to start that far back and then you never know in MotoGP. From one day to the next there are those who are improving and those who are getting worse. It will be a long race with thirty laps and it will also be physically tough. “
Will Marquez manage to hold her own?
“He is fast. He’ll be there tomorrow. There were many fast drivers with new tires, but he’s also doing well in terms of pace. “
Speaking of qualifying, many riders slowed down Moto3 style to wait for the slipstream.
“I was expecting a bit of trouble to happen here because it’s a tight and short stretch and with so many bikes on the track, there’s a greater chance of finding someone waiting and in the way. The Moto3 riders are doing a lot worse, but they need our example. I am worried that one day they will be in MotoGP. “
There has been a lot of talk about tires these days since Michelin brought the tough with the 2019 frame. What are your feelings
“That’s the way things are. I was competitive until 2018. I hadn’t won any races this season, but I finished third in the championship. I was second on this track. Something has changed since 2019. From that moment on I had to use a different setup on the bike. I’ve always wanted a stiff rear that gives me support, but the new tires suffer from that attitude. You have to use softer settings for them to work and I get in trouble because I can no longer take advantage of my driving style. But it is, and we have to improve.”
Could the hard tire be used in the race?
“It has the same compound as the Medium, but with the old frame, which is harder, but the tire has less power. It’s hard to think about using it even when the temperatures were lower. “
Paolo Ciabatti said he has confirmed that the agreement between the VR46 and Ducati will be announced and that you will also choose the drivers.
“That will happen. We talked and we would like to choose our drivers, also because Ducati has shown that it has great confidence in the young generation of our academy. It will be very difficult for me to race in my team next year.”