Last Saturday at Mugello, Tito achieved a great feat with the sixth time in the third free practice session, which qualified him directly for Q2. A little aspiration was not unrelated to the clock, but that's the rule of the game.
During the qualifying session, Rabat achieved the tenth time, preceding Johann zarco et Alex Espargaro. It was all the more meritorious since in 22 Grands Prix, his best place on the grid had been sixteenth.
In the race, Tito was in fourteenth position after the first lap, then he improved by overtaking Cal Crutchlow, also on Honda. The Briton passed him again, then attacked Pedrosa, and the two men ended up on the ground, which allowed Rabat to finish in eleventh position. It wasn't his best result, as he finished ninth in Argentina.
The layout of the Montmelo circuit has been modified since the last Catalan Grand Prix. This year, the F1 configuration of turn 10 will be retained, making the entry tighter and slower.
The chicane between the stadium and the last corner will also be used. This part was considered too fast with a succession of right turns where the bikes gained a lot of speed. With now a right-left-right chicane, the pace will be slowed down even more.
According to Tito Rabat, “The most important thing about these changes is that they improve safety. Unfortunately, they take away a little something from the plot. »
“Before, turn 10 was longer, with a quicker entry and a higher passing speed. But the wall being too close, and the clearance zone not being able to be increased, there was no other solution than to modify the route. »
“Now it’s more stop and go with a tighter angle, a bit like the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. But it's not just the angle that makes the difference, the asphalt has also changed and there are some bumps to be wary of. You can easily get trapped and make a mistake, even if the fall would be slower. »
“The turn is very technical now. You have to be precise with the trajectory and re-accelerate smoothly. And it is no longer possible to overtake on the brakes on the descent towards turn ten. »
“The new chicane – turns 13, 14 and 15 – is very different from what it was before, but also safer. It's slow and technical. It is possible to overtake in turn 13, but there is a risk of going out and you will have to be careful. »
“You also have to be wary of the curbs in turns 14 and 15 because they are high and very bumpy. Easy to fall when passing over it when entering or exiting. »
“The biggest problem is that you can cut the chicane and therefore save time, or fall and see the bike cross the track on the exit. The race management will have to be very careful to penalize the drivers wisely. »
“The new chicane is much lower than the one we used last year and it will be possible to go through turn 16 faster, which will allow us to go faster on the straight. »
“I agree with the drivers who say that these changes have distorted the circuit, but we must also not forget why these changes took place. And these changes were made at the request of the pilots. »
“For me, in the end, it doesn’t change much. I still love this circuit and I'm looking forward to racing in front of my home crowd with a good test session right here. The route seems to suit our bike”
Photos © Marc VDS Racing
