Currently twenty-second in the World Championship with 8 points, the Briton does not bear comparison with his teammate Pol Espargaro (26 points), or even with test driver Mika Kallio who has a total of 6 points, despite having only participated 'at two Grands Prix.
There was a serious movement of irritation at KTM after the Austrian GP (at home for the manufacturer and its main sponsor Red Bull) when Rock finished tenth, 19 seconds behind the winner Andrea Dovizioso, and Smith eighteenth at 36 seconds.
KTM tried to improve the situation by replacing Bradley's chief mechanic, Tom Jojic, before the British Grand Prix with Esteban Garcia, but that didn't change much. To top it off, he finished last in his national Grand Prix at Silverstone, 48 seconds behind the winner Andrea Dovizioso while his teammate Espargaro Pol ended at 30.
In his blog published on motogp.com, Smith explained that “ As you can imagine, I was really sore after being the last to cross the finish line at my domestic Grand Prix at Silverstone. After the race, I promised to go to the Silverstone stage to meet the fans while James Toseland's band played. The welcome I received from them really made me more and more determined to fight this difficult period in my career. They hadn't forgotten what I've already achieved and I'm even more focused on giving them something. Thank you so much for this support when everything seems against me at the moment.
“The next race will be in Misano in Italy where we had a very good test before Silverstone and where we will arrive with good data. The pressure is on me especially after the recent bad results. The KTM team and especially my pit guys have been fantastic and I have their full support. I have a new team leader who I hope will help me achieve results.
“Esteban has a wealth of knowledge and experience and from the start I was up to the challenge. It's not easy for him to come into a team that is really struggling rather than one that is producing results, but he is up to the task. Silverstone wasn't easy because it was KTM's first visit and we didn't have any previous data. We often have to start from scratch. Misano should be different.
“We tried a different way of operating during the weekend at Silverstone, including on the first day on Friday using the same tires for both sessions. We're looking at all the ways we can make a difference. You can't produce miracles overnight, but every small step leads to better results.
“As I said, I have no illusions about this situation. KTM was fantastic and especially the team manager Mike Leitner. They really want me to succeed and they do everything they can to help me.
“However, the Grand Prix after Misano is in Aragon in Spain, where test driver Mika Kallio will join Pol and me in the team. If Mika beats me by the same margin as he did in Austria a few weeks ago, I'm sure there will be big questions asked. »
Photo credit: Gold and Goose for KTM
Source: motogp.com
