Andrea Dovizioso is on his first approach with the Yamaha Petronas and today was a special day: track conditions were wet, apart from the first half hour of the morning and the new Petronas rider had to deal with several “problems” related to the position on the bike.
Andrea’s first analysis: “Position to find”
“Currently I’m fighting over the position – said Andrea at the press conference – otherwise, if I were already thinking about cornering or braking I would be much ahead of that. When you’re still working on the position and you’re not feeling well, you can’t put together the braking point, mid-corner entry and exit. This morning when the asphalt was dry I was still far behind on the aspect of the position but I expected it exactly like this and it’s normal. These are aspects that are usually looked at in the winter tests, indeed, it is a job that is done at the end of the season so that one can then be in place in the first pre-season test. These are normal things, I knew we would face these difficulties and that is why I decided to participate in this race. I had the chance to do the test after this race but being here during the weekend speeds up the work and what I will see in the race will help me to do the test better. Anything that comes then is fine. For now, I’m not in the least bit close to getting feedback on the bike, but these feedbacks will surely come when I start driving down the times. When you feel what’s on the asphalt, on the front and rear tires, it was a great feeling ”.
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Dovizioso: “First the position, then the feedback”
But so what did Andrea understand from this first day? “What did I understand about Yamaha? – he added – For now I have taken two and a half seconds from the others then I could only understand the important things: you understand the power, the electronics, the corners but the details of the engine you understand them when you make certain times, not when you take two and a half seconds. What is happening is perfectly normal, we are working and it makes no sense to give certain feedback when you do not make the right time. Already with the Aprilia I had perceived different sensations from those I had in the last eight years, but honestly you understand certain things immediately when you enter the track in terms of position and others you cannot understand until you ride the bike from a standstill. When I started in the pit lane I said “it is wide enough to take a few days to find the right position”.
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