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Qualifying for Andrea Dovizioso, in his second race on the Petronas Yamaha after his Misano return, gave him a fourteenth position on the starting grid. Not a particularly exciting result for a rider of his calibre, but more than justified by having to learn to ride a completely "foreign" bike, all after months of being away from the premier class.
You were held up by traffic, the pace for a fast lap seemed to be there.
"On the straight I was losing a lot - Dovizioso told us - I 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 I think I still have a good pace for tomorrow's race despite the shortcomings of the bike in acceleration, I hope to be able to keep up with the others ".
Are you satisfied with the setup of the bike for the less than optimal conditions of this circuit?
"We did several tests but I will still need some time to fully understand the bike. For example, during free practice this morning I tried to race with my riding style that I was used to but it doesn't work with this bike. I need to adapt to the new bike and what it requires from the rider. Compared to the Ducati it does not have the same acceleration on the straight and even the corners have to be tackled differently, so sometimes I manage and sometimes I make mistakes, but I feel that we are improving and the pace is good ".
You were one of the few to ride the whole session on the hard compound. Will you also use it in the race?
"We tried the hard but we're still not sure it's the best choice, the medium compound could be a good solution. I saw many riders go fast on the soft but I don't think it's a valid option for the race, especially on this track. ".
This circuit will also be very demanding from a physical point of view…
"Physically I don't think I'll have any problems, I always have that problem in my neck but it's an old story. I'm not particularly worried but in fact racing with the track in these conditions is not really a joke."
So, are you surprised that you have already achieved this performance with a completely different bike in such a short time?
"Surprised I wouldn't say, on the one hand I think I still have a good margin for improvement because as a rider I still have to fully understand the bike and this is positive. On the other hand, some technical shortcomings in the race tomorrow, such as acceleration for example, will be a complication to be able to stay in the group. Having to recover from braking on the straight and in the changes of direction will be very tiring so it will all depend on following the right lines and making as few mistakes as possible ".
Did the two days of testing at Misano affect your improvements with the new bike?
"I think it's normal, it's just a matter of time. I started far away in Misano and I'm still not riding as I should. The bike requires a riding style that is radically different from the Ducati with which I braked hard and came out of the corners hard, pulling the bike up with my strength, with the Yamaha you need a different riding style and it still doesn’t come instinctively ".
