Like most enthusiasts, Régis was not amazed by the spectacle of this Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. But there were good moments, interesting phases and drivers who did the best they could despite unfavorable weather circumstances. Here are the most salient points.
Congratulations :
" For Marc Márquez, for his little loss at the front which I really liked, around halfway through the race. He lost his front on the right, and that's nothing compared to what he's capable of doing, but in any case it's something that still impresses me as much to see him do that and to put the bike back online.
“It was his fiftieth victory in the premier category and he is starting to be one of the big names. It was a great victory for him compared to his record.”
“We will say that unfortunately he didn't have too much difficulty winning. I say unfortunately because for the show it was less pleasant.”
Roll of honor :
" I will put Andrea Dovizioso because once again he was there when he was needed. On the other hand, he is a humane person, and the death of Ducati press officer Luca Semprini must have had an impact on the entire team. Ducati Corse, which I know very well, is made up of people who really love racing.”
“Dovi performed well. We could see the bike moving a little bit when accelerating, and I thought he would be better in the last seven or eight laps thanks to his medium tire, but in fact it didn't help at all, which was surprising. It might not have worked with the soft, but in any case I thought the medium would have been an advantage.”
“There was a bit of water before the race, which doesn't help because sometimes a bit of dirt falls from the sky and the track is less clean. The harder a tire is, the better it is expected to perform in terms of wear, improving as the race progresses. It wasn't really the case, but as always he had a great result with this second place. She wasn't enough for him, that was obvious, but he did everything he could, that's for sure. »
Encouragement:
“My encouragement goes to the level of the tests (even if the race was more difficult for him) to Johann zarco because I know what it's like to be a pilot and the pleasure of finally finding a front row feels good in the head. Before the next race which is the “KTM Grand Prix” (Editor’s note: Austrian GP), I hope everything works out well and moves forward a bit.
“It can help him get a good result and I think above all that it did him good in the head, because in the head it’s not always simple.”
Can do better :
" I will put Maverick Vinales because he was fine during all the tests. He started on the wet side of the starting grid, but I don't think it was a big problem. He should have been more incisive at the start, which he doesn't really know how to do. It was often his problem at the start of the race, but he managed to put that aside a little during the last Grands Prix by performing well from the start.”
“There he unfortunately showed his faults a little bit and it was annoying because there was no Yam in front. It was all the more unfortunate as he, who was the only Yamaha rider to win a Grand Prix this year, seemed to be struggling to win a second.”
“It was disappointing to see that he failed to fight in the first laps, to pass the drivers when the rest of the track was completely dry and there was no risk.”
The highlight:
“For me the highlight does not concern a driver, but the entire course of the Grand Prix. With the rain that fell on the last and first corner, only these two parts were wet while everything else was dry.”
“The situation has been difficult, so well done to Dorna and the FIM for delaying the start because with only two wet corners and everything else dry, you can't start with wet tires, and you can't either no longer go with slicks because it's too dangerous. So it was good to see that they thought about playing it safe for the drivers, because that’s the most important thing.”
“We could have considered that it was putting safety a little too much forward, which did not exist in my time. When I raced in 500cc, we would have started the Grand Prix, and a driver who wanted to win would have started on slicks, that's for sure. Or at worst with a slick at the rear and an intermediate at the front, which is what I did in Valencia* to have a bike that was a little safer at the front.”
*When Régis won the Grand Prix there in 1999 in 500 cc.
Except that intermediaries no longer exist…
" We totally agree. The absence of intermediaries is negative, we must not dream. For me, it is abnormal that there are no intermediaries, because between a slick and a rain there is still a terrible gap. Even between the soft slick and the hard wet, there's a big gap, so it's not completely normal, but that's how it is.”
The pleasant surprise:
“Jack Miller was a pleasant surprise for me. He did very well and it really made me happy to see him finish third because he really deserved this place. Álex Rins was struggling with tire wear, there was something that really bothered him.”
“It was nice to see Miller on the podium. I have always liked all the Australians, although I cannot explain exactly why. I always took great pleasure in seeing them race, and so a big congratulations to him because he had a very good race and it was very positive for him, especially since apparently he still hasn't signed contract for the moment, so that could possibly help him open a few doors. »
The overall score of the Grand Prix:
“Ouch ouch ouch, I didn’t want that question! (laugh). I would put 10. I even wanted to put below, but I would put 10 just to give the average. You have to be nice.”
“This Grand Prix lacked attacks, fights between the drivers, and of course the French in front.”
Photos © Diego Sperani / Dorna for KTM, Yamaha, Repsol Media
