Tackling different challenges, Lecuona and Vierge make progress on Day 1 at Misano

“Conditions were quite tough today, very different compared to the test in that it’s been much hotter. We started with the base setup that worked well for us during the May test, but this morning I had a lot of chatter at the front, something we didn’t experience during testing. I knew the track conditions wouldn’t be the same, but the feeling on the bike was also different compared to last year’s race. So we decided to switch back to a base closer to the ‘standard’. I spent a lot of time in the garage today, but we weren’t focusing on lap times. The priority was finding the right direction. In the afternoon, we worked more on electronics, which helped a bit, but I was still lacking confidence, especially with front feeling and braking in the hot conditions. The team made further changes to help me in terms of corner entry and stopping the bike. We actually improved, and I started to feel better on the bike, but unfortunately, I had a small crash at Turn 4. I almost saved it, but the bike ended up in the gravel and did just one loop. It wasn’t destroyed, but it was banged up, so I had to spend a lot of time in the garage. I tried to exit as fast as possible but only managed to do one more lap at the end, just to check the bike. I’m not worried about today’s position though as some riders used a Q tyre, while we stayed on the same set throughout the session. So overall, I’m not frustrated as I know today doesn’t reflect our real potential. Let’s see how things go tomorrow.”

“It hasn’t been easy, but we were already expecting that. The pain isn’t too bad, which is very positive. But of course, it’s been three weeks that I’ve barely used that foot, so I’ve lost a lot of strength and confidence. Still, I believe things will improve as the weekend goes on. Naturally, this also affects the feeling with the bike. From the beginning, the sensation hasn’t been great, but I’ve worked a lot with the team, and already in FP2—in hotter conditions—I felt much better. I started to regain confidence on the bike. We’re still missing some speed compared to the others who tested here for two full days, but we managed to close the gap, and most likely, they don't have the same margin for improvement that we still do. That’s why we focused on ourselves today. Overall, it’s been a very positive day for me. We didn’t worry about the result, we just worked on building up the weekend in the best way possible. This afternoon, I’ll continue working on my recovery to be in the best shape tomorrow, and together with the team we’ll try to take another small step forward. As for treatment, I’m applying a lot of ice to control the swelling and also using massage therapy to help reduce it. So far, it’s not too bad.”