It has always been known that the Red Bull Ring was not the most suitable track for Yamaha, but in the previous five races on the Austrian track, the Iwata manufacturer had always managed to limit the damage. The race valid as the Styrian GP was instead a real massacre, with only one M1 in the top 10 and with that of Maverick Vinales who risked very big, when he ran out of brakes, forcing the Spaniard to jump off the saddle.
For the second Sunday in a row, the best among the Yamaha riders was Valentino Rossi, even if clearly the “Doctor” cannot be satisfied with a ninth place. Especially at the end of a race that highlighted the weak points of his bike in a too conspicuous way.
“We knew that on this track we would have to suffer, because here the top speed is very important and this year the difference with the others is big and very difficult to manage. Last year it was like this too and we worked to try to solve this situation, which however is still very similar. Here there are a lot of long straights and therefore we suffer “said Valentino.
“Last week I managed to finish fifth, but because there were so many crashes in front of me. Today, on the other hand, everyone managed to unload the power they have more than us, besides no one made mistakes, so the first Yamaha has finished ninth. It is equally true, however, that on other tracks we are doing well, because we scored a hat-trick in Jerez, so we hope that the next tracks will go better “he added.
Suzuki is another brand that has historically had power problems and therefore suffered from the Austrian ups and downs. However, from this point of view he seems to have taken a big step forward, as Joan Mir seemed very much on his way to victory before the red flag was displayed.
“Suzuki did a great job this weekend and it shows that the problem is not the engine structure with the straight fours. They have more grip than us in acceleration, but the engine is also clearly better. a little behind Rins and he accelerated a lot more than me. “
Obviously, a mention of the brake problem suffered by Vinales could not be missing, even if Rossi explained that he suffered less this weekend, explaining why the M1 suffers particularly in braking.
“I had some problems last week, but this weekend we worked hard with Brembo, using different material since Friday, so I didn’t have any particular problems in the race. This is a very demanding track for the brakes, so everyone suffers. a little bit and they have quite large air intakes. But we suffer a little more because we try to recover what we lose on the straight under braking, but in this way we stress the brakes quite a bit. “
Today was Miguel Oliveira’s first victory and a championship is on the horizon that doesn’t seem to want to find a boss. After the 1-2 in Jerez, Fabio Quartararo seemed the favorite, but in the last three races he suffered a lot, according to the rider from Tavullia, however, due to the difficulties of the Yamaha.
“A very interesting situation is emerging for this championship. Who will win it? Because all those who seem to be favorites, then have sensational setbacks. I don’t know if Quartararo feels the pressure, but I think he is suffering from technical problems. that we have with our bike. At Jerez he is scary, because he has always done it throughout his career. The bike went well and he made two victories. Then came the most critical tracks and it was tough, but for me it is mainly a technical question “.
A championship so strange, that even without any particular highlights, except for the podium at Jerez 2, Rossi too can still be considered in the race after the first five Grands Prix of the season: “I’m seventh at 25 points. But we’re all there, we’re not far away. . What we hope is that our bike will go better on the next tracks, like in Misano, where we were competitive last year “.
According to him, now everything has gotten tighter because the list of names of the drivers who can aim for victory is getting longer, but in the end also because the tires are becoming a determining factor.
“The bikes that used to be in the second tier, then KTM and also Suzuki, have improved a lot. This means that there are at least six other bikes that can fight for the victory and this mixes the cards a lot. All the MotoGP riders. they are strong, so it’s really interesting. Now you go fast if you work the tires well. If you can, everything comes easy from Friday and you get to the front. The next week you change track, everything goes badly and you get behind. The biggest problem is that no one has understood why, so it is a difficult thing to solve “.
Despite everything, Valentino does not seem to want to point the finger at Michelin, even admitting that today’s tires have a really short window of use.
“The situation has improved in recent years, because Michelin is more careful. For example, if a tire has been heated several times, they won’t give it to us anymore. In recent years, however, we suffered a lot on that tire. Here, however, the level is very high and the difference is very small. Maybe a tire comes out that is a little better than another and can change the race. I was very optimistic today because it was 33 degrees on the asphalt, which is an ideal condition for a motorcycle race, and I thought I was more competitive. Instead this afternoon, the average was not working. I had no grip and in the first part of the race I was already in difficulty. I don’t know if there is a difference between a tire and the other, I think it is more the range of use which is very small “.
Finally, the man from Pesaro touched on the subject of the differences in treatment that we have seen applied to track limits today. In Moto2, Jorge Martin was deprived of his victory for putting his wheels on the green at the exit of turn 8. In MotoGP, on the other hand, Pol Espargaro went very wide at the last corner to try to defend the victory, but he was not sanctioned. probably because he had already lost two positions in the maneuver.
“As far as Moto2 is concerned, Martin went to the green also last week on the last lap and he can’t. Last race they didn’t do anything to him, because then the rule says that if you have a 3” advantage it doesn’t matter. But that’s silly already, because the rules work when they’re clear. For me, if you can’t go green on the last lap, if you go there you lose a position. Finished. They didn’t do anything to him last week and today they penalized him for the same thing. But if the rule is one, it must be the one for everyone “.
In the case of MotoGP, I think they assessed that Pol Espargaro went on the green because Miller pushed him. But in this way you go completely green and lose nothing. With that green painted part, the slopes are safer, but you should think as if there was gravel in that spot. I know the commissioners are under pressure after Zarco’s accident, but they need to be more uniform in their judges. Their work is not easy, but we need to raise the level “, he concluded.
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Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
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Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
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Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
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