Luca Cadalora commented on the Assen Grand Prix with us during our usual bar sport. As always, Cadalora proved that he is very familiar with what is happening in the MotoGP paddock and offered his knowledgeable and timely commentary on what we witnessed over the Dutch weekend, obviously including the unexpected divorce between Vinales and Yamaha.
The first topic of our chat was for Assen, or at least for the route it used to be.
“Assen was a track on which you simply couldn’t make mistakes. The track ended with a white line and then a green one, only that it was real grass. It was a track that was really extraordinary, you had the feeling that you rode a lot, even with the 125, not to mention when I rode in the 250 and 500.
The Yamaha turned out to be the best motorcycle in the Netherlands, at least with Quartararo.
“This is a circuit that improves the qualities of the Yamaha. Assen is an excellent track to evaluate a bike overall and I think the Yamaha has the best package right now. Then things will change on other tracks, maybe Ducati will save the day. ”With its advantages in Austria, for example, but in Assen it was very difficult, especially in the last part of the track, the last two corners were a challenge for her and that can also tell us a lot about the differences between the motorcycles. It was very interesting as a Grand Prix. The two races in Austria will be a good moment for Ducati. “
Cadalora: “Assen’s real surprise was Marquez”
Who surprised you in Assen?
“The first part of Bagnaia’s race was positive, but maybe he could have brought more home. Pushing a lot at the beginning didn’t help him, but he’s young and I can understand it. In these situations you should learn to be satisfied but I can understand that it’s not easy. Pecco had excellent pace even at the end of the race, he could have done more. The one who really surprised me is Marc Marquez. Although they haven’t talked much about it in on the first lap he was 11th after start 20. I think I can understand what it means for him to do a MotoGP at Assen in these conditions and in my opinion he has a great race after the big impact in practice ridden, never giving up. It was a surprise, I didn’t expect him to be so strong in the race. “
Is Marquez really on his way back?
“Marquez in the second part of the championship could become someone who wins a lot and he could be worried about the championship. In my opinion, at Assen only a perfectly fit Marquez could have beaten Quartararo and I think the break this month will be very good for him help help to get back to what it was before “.
And what do you think of Vinales?
“Despite an unusual tire choice, Vinales had a good race. When he said goodbye to Nakagami and other slower drivers, he drove hard until the end of the race. His indecision about overtaking early in the race is a trait we’ve seen before and it punishes him today. He couldn’t fight Quartararo for that reason, anything could have happened today. This one-two was important for Yamaha today, the M1 has shown that it is very strong “.
Cadalora: “Having Quartararo by your side can make certain decisions”
What about his decision to leave Yamaha?
“If Vinales wants to leave Yamaha, it is hardly understandable as a decision, but having a rider like Quartararo by your side can also lead to something like that. In 1993, nobody wanted to be Rainey’s teammate. The results were pretty disastrous. But I’ve always liked having a strong teammate because that makes you better, makes you stronger. In my opinion, Valentino and Lorenzo in 2016 were a pairing that really improved both of them. To be the best for a team to have two strong drivers, but sometimes not, most of all they have to be strong in their heads.
Do you think there are doubts as to whether the technical treatment is not the same as that of his teammate?
“Technically, I can assure you that Yamaha provides exactly the same level of support to the two factory riders and I think there are few manufacturers who show such a level of fairness to their factory riders and I know what I’m talking about.”
How do you see Aprilia’s opportunity for the future of Vinales?
“Aprilia had a great race at Assen and I think Aleix Espargarò is a very fast rider. He’s one of those people who can do anything on a bike, it’s not easy to find someone by your side. As he’s ridden with Suzuki, the bike was still in its infancy and we’ve never seen him on a top MotoGP team, but he’s doing a great job with Aprilia, he’s also dueled with Marquez, they were like two dogs on track. I don’t think Vinales Vin will get along well with the Aprilia. He’s only had MotoGP motorcycles powered by an in-line 4 engine, switching to a V4 after many years of riding this type of motorcycle , is not easy.
Cadalora: “Money is not everything, a driver also wants a lot more”
Aprilia would not be able to offer the same salary as Yamaha. Will this influence Vinales’ decision?
“You know, money isn’t everything. It’s important to feel wanted by the manufacturer you’re driving with, but it’s far more important for drivers to have the right environment, the technical guarantees that allow them to express their talent many aspects that make a driver choose one thing over another, but money is not necessarily the most important aspect “.
What do you think of Ducati? Does this trident work?
“In my opinion, Ducati is in this situation because of a need, not a reasoned decision. Perhaps it has made decisions that are more long-term than the present moment, and in my opinion, anyone from Miller, Bagnaia and Zarco can be a real top driver. At first it seemed Miller because he won two races, then we thought of Bagnaia. But the most consistent is Zarco, who seems to me to be a really important driver for Ducati. He seems to me to be the one who understands firstly how to sort the bike out quickly, he is the one who can say more clearly than the others what is not working and in some cases it is very practical for the engineers to have problems first and Ducati needed it definitely in Assen. Maybe we understand a little more in Austria, because there the Desmosedici will have a small advantage. I’ve known Zarco since he was a Yamaha, he has qualities and he is a sensitive rider. But sometimes I don’t like him because sometimes he rides too aggressively. He has other qualities and I like to see him ride. “