MotoGP Qatar J2, Alex Rins (Yamaha Q20/S17): “We expected a difficult Sprint, and it was more than expected”

Alex Rins, in Qatar, is not having the dream start to this new chapter of his career. While he spent the majority of the 2023 season in the infirmary, the Spaniard is struggling to find speed on the handlebars of a recalcitrant motorcycle, whose package is just not up to par with the rest of the field. The proof again today, with this 20th place in qualifying, followed by 17th position in Sprint. The race ended with significant tire degradation for both drivers. Regardless, Rins remains motivated knowing that if things improve, he could become the first to win on three different bikes in the MotoGP era.

Losail hardly spares the Yamaha YZR-M1s. While we are only at the start of the season, and worse, the first Grand Prix has still not been contested, the two Yamaha officials are experiencing abnormal difficulties at this stage. Tire degradation, for example, the scale of which had not been anticipated by the engineers. Weird. « It was a bit difficult. We were expecting a tough sprint, but it was a bit tougher than I expected because I wasn't able to ride at my own pace. We got off to a good start, then overtook a few competitors. But when I was riding alone, Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira took a little lead. I tried to ride at my own pace, and I made a little mistake on the last lap, and Mir passed me. I tried to manage the rear tire as much as possible, but I struggled a lot in the last five laps." he confided immediately. A difficult situation to live in, but casually, his mind is strong.

 

 

The problem was that Yamaha was using the compound intended for the Grand Prix, and it was having difficulty lasting half of an entire race. Tomorrow, you will have understood, the distance will be twice as long and we will therefore have to find a solution very quickly to avoid disaster. « So it is certain that we will have to be more careful with the rear tire tomorrow. But I did a few laps behind the competitors and gathered information. So let's try to improve our bike a little for Sunday, especially in the fast corners! Let's see if we can do this and save a little more on the tires. » he added, full of enthusiasm.

 

 

Do you think Yamaha will be able to bounce back this weekend at Losail? Tell us in the comments!

Here are the MotoGP Sprint results at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix:

 

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport