If the Sepang and Phillip Island tests went favorably for Iannone, on the other hand he seemed significantly less comfortable on his Suzuki at Losail. Without this being worrying for the whole season, because we know that the GSX-RR will be very competitive on several circuits, we can already envisage that the first Grand Prix of the year will not be very easy for Andrea next week in Qatar.
Generally speaking, Iannone is relatively confident for the season which is about to begin: “ It will be a fun but difficult season. My rivals are strong, but that will make it all the more interesting, especially for those watching on TV. It's never easy to meet expectations, but I think we have a good chance, despite the work still to be done. In this part of the season, it is not easy to make predictions. My goal is to always be among the best. The last two years I was always there and I hope to do the same in 2017.
“We still struggle a lot with the front of the machine. From the first day of the Doha tests I was losing it frequently, but we improved the situation a lot. We tried extreme settings and the situation improved. At the beginning I was a little worried because I was losing the front in every corner, and I was falling without even attacking. The rest was not bad and for this reason I believe that during the Qatar race weekend we will improve a little more.
“In the end, over the last three days of testing, we made good progress in 1'55s and had a flash of inspiration that allowed us to understand where we needed to go. Having a 1'55 pace is something we haven't been able to achieve throughout the test so far, so at least I'm a little happier. We still have a bit of chatter, especially in turn 6, where I can't come in and slow down like I would like, but we have improved and that's what's important.
“I'm trying to adapt quickly to the bike, but to go fast you need a riding style identical to that of Vinales. I try to imitate him, but it's not in my nature. He never brakes while leaning, but always with the bike straight. It waits before turning and then accelerates, whereas most riders use the brake to get the bike into the corner and then accelerate. Right now I'm trying to adapt to try to compensate for what's missing. »
