After five Grands Prix out of the eighteen registered on the MotoGP calendar this year, we can see two disappointments among the riders competing in the championship. They chose to change teams. Especially one, Lorenzo, who, by signing with Ducati, pushed the other, Iannone, towards Suzuki. Two routes which, for the moment, experience the same difficulty: that of adapting to the new mount. It was feared for Por Fuera due to a Desmosedici always difficult to pin down. But it wasn't really planned for Iannone with a GSX-RR which confirmed Viñales' talent last year.
The last Grand Prix of France was the latest opportunity to compare Suzuki's form from year to year. And the analysis is cruel. In 2016, at Le Mans, Casa Particular in Viñales had qualified eighth and finished his race third, 14 seconds behind the winner. Joe the Maniac did much less well in the Sarthe: a place of seventeenth on the starting grid and a final position of tenth, 48 seconds behind the man who triumphed and who was none other than his predecessor on the GSX handlebars. -RR: Maverick Vinales.
So, obviously, it stings at Suzuki. On his race on the Bugatti, Iannone commented : " it was difficult and we are in a complicated situation. I wasn't comfortable. We suffer during braking phases. We can't slow down properly. This needs to be resolved because it is the key point for overtaking. We are also not good in terms of grip when picking up the bike. Finally, I don't trust the bike when it has a full tank. ».
He finishes : " we have a mountain of data to analyze before tackling Mugello. We are a strong and solid team and we are progressing with each session. But we must do more because our adversaries are advancing faster than us ».
Ken Kawauchi, the technical man at Suzuki explains: “ this weekend at Le Mans was difficult. We need time to adjust the bike, more than our opponents. We only found the solutions on Sunday morning. But we haven't been able to give our riders enough adjustments to get better results. ».
At Mugello, Suzuki will have to show another face. The arrival of new Michelin tires could help Iannone who was one of the pilots who requested them the most. Last year Casa Particular in Viñales had qualified second ahead of the Ducati of Iannone and he finished the Italian Grand Prix sixth while Joe the Maniac took the third step of the podium in front of his home crowd.
