On this Saturday, June 26, 2021, Alex Rins answered questions from journalists from the Assen circuit, following qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconference software) to the words of the Spanish rider, author of the seventh fastest time during Q2 and who will have a good card to play tomorrow, even if by his own admission the Yamaha seem unattainable this weekend.
As usual, we report here the words of Alex Rins without the slightest formatting.
Álex, how are you after your accident at the very end of qualifying? Aside from that, you had a pretty good session…
" I have missed the second line by a hair! But that's okay, it was a good day. My accident during my last lap in Q2 was not very bad. I'm happy because I had a good feeling during FP4 covering many laps with the hardest tire at the rear. However, I am still not sure which tire I will use between the soft and the hard, because I feel good with both. The software is perhaps better at the very beginning, but we will have to see if it will be sufficient tomorrow given the temperatures. »
You showed a solid pace during FP4… But do you think your arm will last the entire distance of a race as long as Assen?
" In As for my arm, we'll see how it goes. It’s a very trying track. During FP4 I also did several fairly long outings, and my hand was quite tired after all that. But it's the last race before the holidays, so I want to finish on a good note. »
« Je want to go on vacation on a good note »
It seems you have the pace to stay close to the Yamahas. Do you think you could pose a threat?
" I don't think so, because the Yamahas are really strong here. Maverick and Fabio also showed great pace, and I honestly think the race will be for them. In our case, if we get off to a good start, we can try to follow them, but we really don't have the same pace. »
What tactics are you going to apply tomorrow? Each motorcycle has advantages in certain sectors. Where do you think you can shake up the hierarchy?
" I hope not to upset everyone at the start [laughs]! My tactic will be to attack from the start. I will pray all night that there will be no rain like it did at the Sachsenring. We can fight for the top 5, that would be a good result for us. »
« I can we fight for the top 5 »
The Suzuki is still very strong at the end of the race. Don't you think that the choice of the hard tire at the rear is necessary, in the sense that it amplifies this state of affairs?
" The Suzuki were previously stronger at the end of the race, but now we have more difficulty overtaking. We hit our tires more and we got closer to the limit at the end. Everything will depend on the temperature regarding the choice between the soft tire and the hard tire. »
Michelin believes that the hard rear tire will not be a viable option in racing. However, Quartararo also used the hard tire during FP4. Can you tell us more?
" It is the first time I heard that, because I saw Piero Taramasso [two-wheel manager at Michelin Motorsport] in our garage and he didn't say anything about it. But if it's true, the problem is that we haven't tested the medium tire. So we'll see all that tomorrow during the warm up. »
MotoGP Assen – Qualifying standings
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
