It’s a Valentino Rossi not really happy who leaves the route of Phillip Island. The three days of testing offered in Australia did not reassure him about a new Yamaha whose new chassis he nevertheless appreciates. A novelty that his teammate Viñales does not shy away from, who prances at the top of the timesheet. Vale finished his work outside the top 10, tired and with doubts.
It's not really the kind of mindset the Doctor was hoping to have with just three days of testing remaining before he takes the plunge for the Qatar Grand Prix. But the fact is there: “ we worked hard and tried a lot of things, firstly to have a better pace with worn tires. But to be honest, I'm not happy. I did a lot of laps, and at the end, I was tired so I didn't improve my time ».
Fatigue also felt in Malaysia. Vale completed almost 200 laps in three days, and the last day was the echo of the second where it was difficult for him to find the way to the right settings: “ we always have doubts. We will try to follow a different path in Qatar. We'll have other things to try. The potential with fresh tires is good but we need to improve when they are worn. We lost too much time here, except in the first sector ».
Public chat GP One, He specifies : " in Malaysia I was able to set a good time and I was closer to the lead. Here, that wasn't the case, it was less good, it was more complicated so I can't be satisfied. Márquez and Viñales are in front and we have to work to get closer to them. Maverick has been fast from day one, he likes Phillip Island and he drives well there ».
Un Casa Particular in Viñales who dominated in Valencia since his move to Yamaha, who left Sepang in the lead and who asserted himself as boss at Phillip Island. So many blows that scratch your morale: “ the bike is not bad, we are working on the electronics and the engine is not bad. But there is still a lot of work to do with the Qatar Grand Prix. We need to come up with better ideas before we embark on this first race ».
It would therefore be a matter of method because the material seems correct: “ I like the new chassis and I think Maverick does too. We need to focus on saving the rear tire which is wearing out too quickly. I tried the new Michelin tires front and rear and I suffered in particular with the front which was too soft given the temperatures. But honestly, that's not my main problem at the moment. ».
