The curtain fell on this off-season and at Yamaha, we were smiling when we brought the bikes into the garage. Well, not for everyone. On the side of Red, we were still thinking about the settings to find rather than thinking about a bright future. Because the third evening in Losail was not the right one. Like the rest of this offseason.
A situation which is coldly recognized by Valentino Rossi who does not hide the fact that he is far from his teammate's situation Casa Particular in Viñales which dominates this winter of preparation with the same M1. Yesterday, the third time brought hope. But this Sunday, the reality was different: “ This evening was more complicated than the previous one. However, we started with the same bike, and we had a busy development program ».
« But unfortunately, we didn't find the same sensations as the day before. We didn't have the same velocity either. It's as if the track conditions have changed. We couldn't progress. I was slower than yesterday even though I had a lot more work to do than yesterday ».
Result, an eleventh place with a time of 1'55.1. Fortunately his 1'54.7 on Saturday allows him to be in the combined ranking just outside the top 5. But it remains uncertain: " I think we are not ready for the first race » blurted Vale on speedweek. " We don't yet understand the bike 100%, we don't understand it completely to get the best out of it. We are worried because, apart from a few isolated good laps, this entire offseason has been difficult ».
“We need to think together and think of something that would make us stronger for the first race. I don't expect to be any faster in two weeks. But I hope so. We need to be more competitive.”
Combined Qatar Test Ranking:
1. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, 1:54,330
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, 1:54,401
3. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 1:54,469
4. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, 1:54,519
5. Alvaro Bautista, Ducati, 1:54,714
6. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:54,732
7. Scott Redding, Ducati, 1:54,750
8. Jonas Folger, Yamaha, 1:54,807
9. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 1:54,821
10. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, 1:54,900
11. Marc Márquez, Honda, 1:54, 990
12. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 1:55,121
13. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, 1:55,284
14. Karel Abraham, Ducati, 1:55,333
15. Alex Rins, Suzuki, 1:55,362
16. Jack Miller, Honda, 1:55,455
17. Loris Baz, Ducati, 1:55,539
18. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, 1:55,556
19. Sam Lowes, Aprilia, 1:56,167
20. Tito Rabat, Honda, 1:56,294
21. Bradley Smith, KTM, 1:56,351
22. Pol Espargaro, KTM, 1:56,471
23. Mika Kallio, KTM, 1:57,632
