Once again, it is with complete frankness that Paolo Simoncelli summarizes the difficult season that his two drivers, Tatsuki Suzuki and Niccolò Antonelli, have just had. The words are sometimes harsh and sharp, but always realistic. Let's hope that Lorenzo Fellon will live up to his goals next year...
Finally, this wobbly year has come to an end.
I'm sorry to say "finally" for several reasons; first of all for you, because I saw your desperation on social media when you write “Noooo!” The last weekend of races, how will I spend the others? » And then because I know that we must be grateful despite everything, because this great circus that is MotoGP has managed to continue and we must thank Dorna who managed the threads perfectly and brought it to the end.
But I have to say “finally” for us, because reaching its conclusion, in this situation of discomfort, is tiring: two tests per week, traveling on the obligatory days sometimes taking ten hours to arrive in Spain (because there were fewer and fewer flights), remain confined to the hotel for the three days between quarantine races. But also because of our history. All our ambitious plans went up in smoke, we achieved nothing of what we had planned when, at the beginning, I bet on us. When I think about it, it makes me angry and, psychologically, adding it all up, it had created a stressful situation.
After a brilliant start, with three pole positions hot on the heels of Tatsuki, everything fell apart right here in Misano with his broken wrist until we arrived in Portimão with three consecutive crashes behind us (not always because of him). With Niccolò everything went the other way, first out of shape, then towards the end, finishing with the best performance of his season. However, in both cases it is not what we expected. We were overwhelmed by a colorless performance.
After Portimão, we should have gone to Jerez for testing and to get to know our new driver Fellon better, but after Sunday's race, it seemed to me that the season was definitively over, and that we had to pull the plug to return to the House.
I would like to congratulate Tony Arbolino who grew up with us from 2014, when he was only one meter tall. He made his debut with us in the 2017 World Championship, and I am happy with his success. I always called him a motorcycle “artist”, I always knew he had promise. Another of our former riders, Yari Montella, will also make his Moto2 debut in 2021, which makes me proud of the work we are doing with these young guys.
Also, for this year, this traveling and unpredictable show has come to an end, and, with it, the 2020 season.
We are already working for the next season, and the new 2021 provisional calendar has just been released, hoping that everything will return to normal. The old and simple normality, with the chaotic paddock, awakened by immense enthusiasm after a year of absence, the hospitality venues full of people and the stands so noisy and so full of your people.
Are we still dreaming? Of course ! In this difficult year 2020, DREAMING is the only thing that no one can take away from us.
-PaoloSic58-
