The post-qualifying conference for this Japanese Grand Prix brought together Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Johann Zarco and Hiroki Ono.
As usual, we therefore offer you a full “raw” translation of the words of Valentino Rossi, without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
Valentino, not a good day yesterday, but today pole position in 1'43...
“Yes, you know, taking pole position always feels special. This time, even more so, because we struggled during all the tests. Yesterday we had a bit of problems, but this morning in particular we expected to improve, but it wasn't enough and I was quite far behind. But we worked well with the team and we improved the balance of the bike a lot for FP4. In fact, in the last free practice sessions I was already faster and more competitive, and therefore I was more positive for qualifying.
So I thought I could fight for the first row, also because I always had good qualifications in Motegi during the last years.
But in the end, pole position is something special; it’s important for tomorrow’s race, but more specifically it’s a good feeling.”
In terms of race pace, you had problems yesterday but you showed yourself strong in FP4…
“Yes, I also improved my pace a lot in FP4. This is also important for tomorrow's race. If we look at the sheet, Dovizioso and Crutchlow are pretty strong, but it looks like me, Marquez and Lorenzo are the strongest. We're pretty close but it seems like Jorge and Marc are a little faster than me, but I'm close. So we have to work hard tonight, try to sort out the details and hope for good weather tomorrow, with a warmer temperature which would be better.”
You were jet lagged on Thursday and it's obvious you have a cold today...
“Yes, I'm not 100% because when I attack for a lot of laps, I don't feel at my best. I'm a little sick, it's difficult to breathe, so I'm worried about the race because it's very long here and very demanding because you have to brake hard. But I hope I can take another step tomorrow and try to fight for victory.”
The tires need to be warmed up here; do you think you can attack from the start of the race?
“It’s only Saturday. We have to wait until tomorrow because of course something can change, someone can improve more than another. But as always, the first 3 or 4 laps of a MotoGP race are always crucial, so you have to stay in the leading group from the start and try to attack as much as possible from the first corner.
After the first part… The race lasts 24 laps and is therefore very long. It seems like you can keep a good pace thanks to the tires, but lap after lap it always gets a little more difficult. So each driver hopes to maintain their pace until the end. We have a very close pace, just like Dovizioso and the Ducati who have been fast all weekend, and we know that the Ducatis are strong under braking and very fast in a straight line. Crutchlow also had good times, as did the two Suzukis who were good; Aleix did good times on worn tires and Vinales is also fast. So it can be a big fight like at the start of Aragon, then we will see.”
You reacted very differently from Marc when there was the yellow flag for the fall of Cal…
“Boo… I don’t remember. Usually I waste a lot of time with yellow flags because I waste time figuring out who crashed (laughs) so in the last few races I tried to stay focused. I saw a motorcycle outside, which was not on the path, and I continued to attack.”
Maverick Vinales said that this time, if he had known you were behind him, he would have stopped attacking, unlike Mugello. Are these new relationships?
“We came out more or less at the same time with the second tire because there weren't many of us who only made three holes with the first tire. I was in front, but then Marquez arrived and attacked; he came in a little wide and so he slowed down, and so I slowed down because I didn't want to attack, and he slowed down because he didn't want to attack, and Maverick passed. So at this moment you have to make a decision and be lucky. And I knew that as Marc had already taken pole position, I had to attack because I was 5 or 6th. In the end, it was the right choice because I got good help from him, and it was a good ride.”
Aleix Espargaro says that on this circuit you have to take care of your brakes because they gradually deteriorate. Do you agree ?
“Yes, this circuit is one of the worst for the brakes. We always have to fight against the temperatures. Everyone uses the big discs, the big pads and all the air intakes, so the maximum to keep the temperatures down, because it becomes very difficult if you lose a little performance. But we are at the limit, because in racing many times you have riders in front of you and, of course, when you follow another bike at a short distance, the disc temperatures increase a lot.
So this can be a problem for tomorrow's race and here, also, you have very strong braking, so when you are in a group you always have to stay very focused, not only on yourself but also on the bikes in front because, Sometimes braking at different points can be dangerous.
But it seems that we are OK with the temperatures, even if we are at the limit.”
How do the Michelins behave in relation to this braking problem?
“For me it was worse with the Bridgestones, because you braked more and the temperatures were even closer to the limits. With the Michelins, it’s a little better, no big difference but a little better.”
“Yesterday we were a bit in trouble…”# VR46 talks turning around his weekend. #JapaneseGP https://t.co/d7XWfj5Kvj
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 15, 2016
