A promising Friday for Team HRC at Cremona

“A tricky day that didn’t end too badly to tell the truth, as we’re just three tenths off the top, but one that presented several challenges. The overnight rain left the track damp for the first session, and since we had already done four days of testing here, we decided to skip it entirely to avoid any unnecessary risks, as we didn’t need to learn the layout. The asphalt had dried in time for FP2, but the track conditions were terrible compared to the test. The combination of rain and dirt left on the track from the work they’ve done meant that the grip was close to zero. I did about five short runs because I kept exiting and pitting, while making a lot of small adjustments to improve the feeling. On the fourth run, with the SCX tyres, I started to feel slight improvement, but it was only with the development spec tyre, which gave us a bit more edge grip, that I was able to put in a good lap during my final exit, completely on my own, which is important. Now we need to analyze the data and understand why I felt so uncomfortable and tense on the bike. I don’t think it was only due to the challenging conditions, although they played a big part. Let’s see tomorrow. If it stays dry, FP3 will be important ahead of qualifying and the race.”

"Despite sitting out FP1 due to the conditions, the overall feeling on this first day has been okay. We were able to make a lot of laps in FP2, even though the feeling was very strange from the start. We went from a super grippy track to one with almost no grip after two days of rain. But we were able to adjust the bike setup to suit the situation, and in the end, I think our pace was quite good. It’s a pity that my fastest lap was cancelled due to a yellow flag, but with such a tight classification, it wouldn’t have made a big difference. The important thing is that, once again, at another different track, the gap to the front is getting a little smaller. Of course, we have to keep working hard, and tomorrow we’ll focus on improving in sector two. Let’s see if we can get even closer for the races."