2023-07-14 20:33:54
Complicated start to the weekend for Álvaro Bautista, who did not feel comfortable on the fast and technical Imola track; The #19 finished on Friday in eighth position, more than half a second behind his teammate, Michael Rubén Rinaldi, who was the fastest on the first day of the Italian Round.
At the end of the day, Álvaro Bautista met with the press and admitted with a laugh that with the new reduction of 250 rpm he had barely gotten on Nicolo Bulega’s Panigale V2, although now it is time to adapt to a type of track that does not predominate in the calendar: “UnfortunatelyI couldn’t use the Panigale V2 because the SBK sessions were too close to the SSP (laughs). That being said, this track is very different to Donington and we have yet to find the right path.”
Álvaro Bautista has shown himself confident for the coming days after understanding in which areas he suffered the most with his Panigale V4 R and makes a positive reading with the pace he set on the first day: “I lacked the confidence that I need, as well as the stability. Nevertheless, the pace wasn’t bad, we were able to collect some data to make some changes to the bike for Saturday, especially at the exit of the curves”.
The Ducati rider pointed out that it is one of the tracks in which he has the least experience -he has not raced here since 2019- and that he is especially concerned about the proximity of the barriers, something that makes him lose confidence: “This is not my favorite track, considering I’ve only raced here once. There are several blind spots and the walls are very close. As I was saying, I don’t have the confidence that I have in other circuits, so we will have to work to make a step forward. However, we are only at the beginning and we must move forward step by step.”
“If I find the right confidence, I know I can push and do well.”, commented Álvaro Bautista, who acknowledged that on the first day on the Italian track he focused on working on setting up the bike for the race: “Today we have worked mainly for the race, although the session was marked by several red flags. This is the peculiarity of Imola in not having much space (and escape)”.
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Finally, the Spaniard has indicated that this weekend equality on the track will be present with minimal differences, although he hopes that tire management will be essential in a race in which he will not risk more than necessary: “I am convinced that tomorrow we will see many drivers fighting for pole position while the situation will be different for the race. Personally, I’m curious to see what the track times will be, especially considering the tire consumption. Today I tried some solutions and tomorrow we will understand it better. As I said, here I will try to avoid risks and mistakes. If I’m confident I’ll push, otherwise I’ll see how I behave”, concluded Álvaro Bautista.
#couldnt #Panigale