After celebrating his 24th birthday this week, After a positive 14th place last Sunday, Luca Marini is looking forward to meeting at the Red Bull Ring. In a race marked by the red flag after the accident with Lorenzo Savadori and Dani Pedrosa, The SKY VR46 Avintia man is convinced that he is on the right track, even though he has a motorcycle with lower equipment than his Ducati counterparts.
“The aim is to close the gap to the front and to Martin after his most recent victory. In addition to the tires, we had to try out the new holeshot system on the previous lap, now we can concentrate exclusively on the race in the benchmarks – he said – Unfortunately we have an outdated chassis that limits our work at the front of the bike, for this reason we will look for an alternative solution and be quick from FP1 onwards. I have to take a few steps forward in Turn 3, where my Desmosedici moves a lot and I have to take off the accelerator early ”.
At the second Grand Prix in a row on the same route to Losail in early 2021, the driver from Urbino hopes to build on the performance of four days ago.
“At racing pace, I expect to be at least half a second faster, so that’s a head start. This of course depends on the conditions, the temperatures and the type of tire. Today MotoGP has become so sensitive to external factors that it is becoming difficult to maintain consistent performance. At the same time, as a rookie, I think it’s an advantage to have two races on the same track.
However, everything is still quiet in the VR46 Racing Team, which, apart from sudden upheavals, is taking part in the upcoming championship with Ducati.
“I have no further information about 2022, of course they take it easy (he jokes). We shall see how the situation develops; but we have the time – he admitted – I can only be part of the VR46 structure as I have no other options in the market for switching teams. I’m calm because there is no rush, but ‘the sooner the announcement comes, the better’. I trust my brother ”.
The news of the day is clearly the enforced absence (by the decision of Yamaha itself) of Maverick Vinales during the weekend. What’s wrong?
“I heard the news recently, it wasn’t clear if it was temporary or if it would last until the end of the season. I think the possibility of Valentino returning to the factory line-up is difficult, but it would certainly be lovely and romantic. You should ask him personally ”.
Bastianini: “I’m aiming for the top 10”
Also in his debut season in the premier class, Enea Bastianini is looking forward to putting herself to the test again on the very fast Austrian course. Fresh from twelfth place, some complexities in the third sector and in the curvier sector emerged during the three days of the past weekend.
“I like the Red Bull Ring, I’m looking forward to racing here again. We analyzed the data from last weekend and overall I feel comfortable on most of the track. I have to improve my part times in T3 – He pointed out – Martin made the difference in this section, but he has a latest generation Desmosedici that allows him to turn closer and faster than us. He can also use third gear from Turn 7 instead of second. I’m ready and can’t wait to get started, I’ll try to be competitive from tomorrow morning. “
In any case, the Avintia Esponsoramarider, which started at the back after breaking off its good lap in Q1, made a great comeback and crossed the finish line not far from the top ten.
“If I could start further, I think I could get a top 10 position. We have the potential to do so. In fact, during the entire race last Sunday, especially the last part, I kept excellent pace compared to the ones that crossed the finish line in front of me.
Analogous to his teammate, the reigning Moto2 world champion was also able to grind a few useful kilometers in the race to get used to the new lowering.
“I felt good with the holeshot, Even though I had some trouble in the race, it’s not easy to remember to activate it while being forced to fight in the middle of the group. Things have turned for the better over the course of the rounds, I just have to get used to it. On a track like this it has many advantages in terms of acceleration and top speed, ”he concluded.