The Suzuki driver took stock of his first part of the season on the team blog.
Alex Rins has had a start to the season punctuated by both excellent results and falls. He thus has two podiums (the first of his career in MotoGP), a top 5, a top 10, but also five clean results. Just before the German Grand Prix, he looked back on his performances as well as the technical evolution of his machine.
“The first part of the season was really like school for me. Already, most of the races have been on tracks I'm not familiar with, given that I missed five races last year due to my wrist injury, so it's been a bit of a fresh start. Then I made mistakes and totaled four falls in eight races, which doesn't seem like a very positive thing, but in the end it taught me important lessons. This year we have a completely different situation from a technical point of view: the GSX-RR is much more competitive and I feel more confident. This allows me to grow, but I also need to understand where the limits are, which is probably the main reason for my falls. »
“On the other hand, when I had confidence and a good feeling on the bike, I was able to achieve very good results. My third place in Argentina and my second in Assen are the most notable, but my fifth position in Mugello after making a good comeback throughout the race was proof of our competitiveness. The level is very high, with many drivers capable of being very fast in qualifying and fighting in the race. It's definitely not easy to stay in the leading group in MotoGP. »
“From a technical point of view, the GSX-RR has progressed a lot since last year. We managed to get rid of the engine problems we were having, and the new spec engine that the Japanese delivered in Catalonia (for Guintoli) and in Assen for Andrea Iannone and me represents a small improvement. Normally, when you improve somewhere, like speed in our case, you lose somewhere else, but here the Suzuki engineers have done an excellent job in keeping the same character of the bike. »
“There has also been an improvement to the chassis that we have been using since Mugello. It's the same but with carbon fiber reinforcements that help us better control stiffness. It's not a huge improvement, but it's more about small improvements that I feel when I ride. This is not decisive in the timed lap itself, but it helps me to have more confidence in order to improve my lap time. »
“I consider this first part of the season to be very positive, especially in terms of everything that me and my team have learned from the machine, but also in terms of my riding style and the way we work. »
