It may not be a defeat, but it is something very similar. Misano actually left a bitter smack in the mouth of Scott Redding, who was forced to take a hit from Rinaldi and Rea to extend his championship lead. The expectations of the Aruba driver on the Riviera were completely different, but in the end the reality was something else which disappointed the British driver a little.
“What can I say about this race – Scott started – it is of course a shame to have ended this Saturday like this. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the right grip at the front in the race, and I didn’t have any self-confidence either, so I suffered for 21 laps. I tried to push, I found confidence in some moments, but I also risked a fall. As I said, I’m disappointed with this race as the other Ducatis were quick, especially Michael who won his first race of the season.
In contrast to Scott, Rinaldi was able to demonstrate his skills on the Riviera racetrack …
“It’s strange because Michael and I had the same rear tire, but I couldn’t improve, on the contrary, I risked a lot. Among other things, I’ve seen Johnny take a risk, but he made a great save to avoid falling. “
We begin to wonder at the difficulties that # 45 encounters …
“I think smaller riders benefit more in these conditions. Compared to Michael, I am 20 kg heavier and that makes a big difference because I have to push harder than the others at the front. Sure, Michael has shown that he can cope well under these conditions, while Rea has suffered, but certainly a lot less than me.
The disappointment can be clearly seen in Scott’s face …
“I’m not angry with the team and certainly not with my squad, but that is certainly not the position I wanted to find myself in because my goals were completely different. Today in the race I tried to avoid taking risks because I was afraid of going under, so I didn’t push as hard as I wanted. “
Gigi Dall’Igna was present in Misano yesterday, Claudio Domenicali today. Scott was asked if he would speak about the development of the bike.
“I spoke to Gigi yesterday and it was helpful. At the moment there is no immediate solution to our problems. It’s strange because last year Rinaldi won in Aragon while he suffered this year. What can I say, this is the current situation ”.
Despite the table gap, the motivation for # 45 remains high …
“Ducati wants to win races, the world championship, develop the motorcycle and be strong. I don’t know whether we will do this together in the future or not, although I am willing to stay on this team. But I think we have to work on some things to change this bike and get more confident. As you know, in this championship we are battling the Kawasaki, a bike with a proven and solid base that has made it a winner over time with Rea. The Ducati has changed a lot from 2018 to 2019 thanks to the introduction of the V4, but we definitely need to improve for the future. “
He had one last thought about the tests …
“We did laps here in April, but the conditions were very different from today. During the race the temperature reached 50 degrees and in April it was lower. “