This pre-event conference for the 2016 edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix brought together Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone.
As usual, we offer you a full “raw” translation of Valentino Rossi’s words, without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
A podium in Australia. You want to continue to have fun and get on the podium in the last two races; This is your battle plan…
“Yes, yes, of course, I agree. I really enjoyed the race at Phillip Island, it was a lot of fun. The racing is always great at Phillip Island. But I was quite fast, quite strong, on Sunday I felt good on the bike, and to come from behind you have to have the right concentration and the right rhythm to do the overtaking in the right way, and I like a lot. I think during the second part of the race, I wasn't strong enough, because when I got to second position, I wasn't very fast, because at that point I wasn't very far from Cal. I think it was difficult to beat him, but I wanted to try to attack throughout the race to get close, but unfortunately he was stronger than me. Regardless, it was a good race, and we have two more to go. We have to focus here at Sepang, it's still a fantastic circuit that I really like. The biggest problem is the temperatures. It's a big challenge because, especially for the race, it's the hardest race of the season. And also the track is new, with new asphalt, which is always a big question mark, especially in relation to the tires. It seems that the layout has also changed a bit, especially the last corner, and we also hope that the asphalt is better for grip.
But like you said, trying to stay focused, we hope we will have more time during testing to tune the bike up for the race, and try to fight for the podium. »
Tests were carried out with messages appearing on the dashboard. What do you think ?
" The messages ? Well... I think it doesn't make a big difference anyway. I mean I'm open to anything, and if we can have some messages on the dashboard, especially around safety, that's OK. »
What do you think about doing a Grand Prix in Indonesia?
“About Indonesia, yes, it is one of the places where you feel a lot of passion for MotoGP, especially in the last few years it has grown a lot. Why not ? Yes. We need a good circuit, because we had a race in Indonesia in 1993/1997, but the track was already on the limit, quite old, a bit dangerous... So if they give us a good circuit, we will be happy to go. »
At Phillip Island, we saw a lot of overtaking with you starting from afar or Cal scoring his second victory. Is it due to the Michelin tires?
“I think the situation was a bit unique at Phillip Island. Because the conditions changed very quickly throughout Friday and Saturday in qualifying. So there were a few riders who were a bit slower who were further forward because they had made a good strategy and put the right tires on, and a few faster riders further back because they were unlucky or missed (made a mistake). tires. So it's also for these reasons that you could have had a lot of overtaking, because in a normal race it's usually more difficult.
Regarding the Michelins, I am happy with the tires, they did a good job, but for sure we have to work a lot, improve, because the performance, especially on some circuits, is good, but where they have to improve, it's about tire safety because it seems like it's easier to make mistakes and crash this year, also during testing. So no one wants that, especially for safety reasons, so I think from that point of view Michelin can work and take a step forward, but anyway, I think it's OK for a first season. »
Where do you think Yamaha has the best chance of winning: Sepang or Valencia?
" It's very difficult to say. I think we can be competitive everywhere. During the weekend a lot can happen, some positive and some negative, and this can give you an advantage or a disadvantage, or come stronger or weaker to the race on Sunday. I think we have possibilities in both races, although it is always difficult. The important thing is to stay focused, work hard, and try as hard as possible, and we'll see. We will start here to try to give the best and then we will think about Valencia. »
You used your new engine at Phillip Island on Saturday and Sunday. Is this the important element to explain the race you did? And what is the difference between a new engine and one that has already done three Grands Prix?
“For the engines, each team makes a fairly clear anticipation at the start of the season. Usually we try to use the fresh engines for the races and qualifying, but then, for the following races, we can go back to the more worn engines to go until the end of the kilometers. Honestly, it doesn't make a big difference, not much. But the first 500 kilometers you feel them a little better, then from there until the end the performance is more or less the same. So everyone is trying to keep the engines fresh for the race. Of course it helps to have a little more. »
How did the Sepang race last year change your relationship with Marc Marquez?
“I agree with Mark. »
At Phillip Island you said that the Yamaha hadn't progressed enough this season and Lorenzo said it was mainly on the electronic side. Are you OK with that ?
“Yes, it can. I think, as always, you have to work on the whole package, everything together. Yamaha always brings different parts during the season, like other manufacturers, and it was the same this year, like last year and two years ago. But unfortunately this year we were not able to improve the performance and we more or less stayed at the same level. In electronics too, everyone is always improving, so if you stay the same, for sure you have some disadvantages. I think we have to work hard, of course, and now we have to focus on the last two races. After Valencia we can try something new, and from then on we can have some clearer ideas about development for next year. »
