Qualifying for Andrea Dovizioso in his second race on the Petronas Yamaha after his return to Misano gave him a fourteenth place on the grid. Not a particularly exciting result for a rider of his caliber, but more than justified when you have to learn to ride a completely “foreign” bike after months away from the premier class.
They were stopped by traffic and the pace seemed to be there for a quick lap.
“I’ve lost a lot on the straight – Dovizioso told us – I’ve tried to follow some top riders like Aleix, but unfortunately I followed him on a lap where he obviously had problems too. These things happen, but me think I still have a good performance “pace for tomorrow’s race despite the bike’s shortcomings in acceleration, I hope to keep up with the others”.
Are you satisfied with the setup of the bike for the less than ideal conditions on this route?
“We did several tests but it will take me some time to fully understand the bike. For example, in free practice this morning, I tried to ride my usual riding style, but it doesn’t work on this bike. I have to adapt to the new bike and the demands of the rider, does not have the same acceleration on the straights as the Ducati and also the corners have to be approached differently, so sometimes I manage and sometimes I make mistakes, but I feel like that we are improving and the pace is good. “
You were one of the few who rode the hard compound for the entire session. Are you going to use it in the race too?
“We’ve tried the hard but we’re still not sure if it’s the best choice. The medium mix could be a good solution. I’ve seen how many riders were fast on the soft, but I don’t think that this is a valid option for the race, especially “on this track”.
This route will also be very physically demanding …
“Physically I think I won’t have any problems, I always have this problem on my back, but it’s an old story. I’m not very worried, but in fact it’s no joke to keep up with the track in these conditions drive.” “
So are you surprised that you have already achieved this performance with a completely different bike in such a short time?
“I wouldn’t be surprised to say that, on the one hand, I think that I still have a lot of room for improvement because, as a rider, I still have to fully understand the bike and that’s positive. On the other hand, some technical defects in the race” tomorrow, such as this Speeding up will be a complication to staying in the group. Recovering from braking on the straights and changing direction will be very tiring, so it’s important to follow the right lines and make as few mistakes as possible “.
Did the two days of testing in Misano affect your improvements with the new bike?
“I think it’s normal, it’s just a matter of time. I started far away at Misano and I’m still not driving like I should. The bike requires a radically different riding style than the Ducati, where I braked hard and came out of the corners hard, pulled the bike up with my strength, with the Yamaha you need a different riding style and it still doesn’t come instinctively ”.