After a long race in which Bagnaia (Ducati) and Quartararo (Yamaha) battled curve after curve and also mingled with Marquez, who looked like a semblance of his former self, the rain ended the young Frenchman’s excellent race in the dry. After the flag-to-flag, the current world champion could not defend the podium and finished seventh. but he intelligently maintained his lead in the championship by not risking his luck in the wet.
Today in the dry the Yamaha seemed to be on par with the Ducatis.
“I think my acceleration was better than Bagnaia’s today, but he made it on the straights. It was difficult to keep up the pace, especially in the first two sections of the track.”
A question of better tire grip or did you make it on the lines?
“Pecco defended well in the early stages of the race and always closed the corners early, but I think that based on my greater experience I haven’t been able to lose ground compared to last year. Even when it started raining and I still had the slicks on my bike, I didn’t think about the championship, just about going fast and not making any mistakes. It was a shame to have lost the lead in the last few laps due to the chaos caused by the rain, but I think I drove a great race, especially in the dry I proved to be very competitive, a little unthinkable on this track . “
When the rain got heavy on the last few laps and you faced the choice between continuing on slicks and taking a risk or returning to the pits to fly the flag, what did you think?
“I’m honest – said the young World Cup leader with a smile – I think it was the first time that I really thought about the championship and decided on the safest choice. I knew it would be a stupid risk to keep going like Binder, considering that I’ve gained an advantage in the championship. I didn’t want to risk a fall, which, by the way, I had already risked with the first drops that landed on the track. From now on and in the next races we have to think more strategically about the championship, winning it is my goal and I think I’m well positioned for it at the moment. “
What went through your head when you had to do the last few laps in the wet?
“At first I lost confidence, after clenching my teeth in the dry for most of the race, the rain messed up my plans. It didn’t go as I had hoped, but now I’m looking forward to the next one Run. in Silverstone, one of my favorite tracks. “.
I mentioned that the current situation at Yamaha could weigh on your performance in the next races given expectations.
“That could be my rivals’ strategy to put pressure on me, but I’m calm. The situation at Yamaha doesn’t affect how I manage the races, there won’t be any problems at Silverstone. “
If you look at yourself over the past year, what has changed?
“I remember having all sorts of problems on this track last year, with the bike, with the track, with the electronics … this year I think that apart from a small lack of top speed we really gave it our all , and I have certainly improved as a driver too. It’s a strange feeling, in the past I was afraid to get in touch with my opponents, while now, race after race, I just think about going fast, to keep improving as a driver and rarely do I keep track of the results “.
The next race is at Silverstone, what do you expect?
“In my years as a rookie, there were two moments that I think marked a turning point in my driving career: the first was in Jerez in 2019 and the second was the race at Silverstone, where I drove a lot faster than I was before. that this route could benefit the Suzukis, I pray that the weather will be good and that with a little luck I can achieve a really good result in the dry. “