Team HRC begins its 2021 WorldSBK campaign at a sunny Aragón

“We’ve finally started the season and I’m happy that I felt physically good today. In FP1, we tried the new Pirelli front tyre that I never had chance to test over the winter. It has a lot of positives, especially in terms of stability, I think. We also made some adjustments to the electronics to better suit the track conditions, a little cooler compared to when we tested here a couple of weeks ago, and the feeling with the bike was good. This afternoon the temperature was a lot higher, so it was harder to find the same feeling I had this morning. We tried to adapt the set-up to these conditions anyway, as the races will probably take place in similar temperatures. I say ‘probably’ because the forecast says it could be cooler again so it might be a bit hard to prepare, but it’s the same for everyone of course. I’m happy with our first day, and with my feeling with the bike. We are working hard and have more ideas for tomorrow, as we try to make another step and start the season with a good result.”

“Today hasn’t gone too badly. The lap times seemed to come quite easily at first, although we lost a little time working with the tyres while other riders made a bit of a step up. But we’ve found better consistency, I think. The grip levels weren’t as good as they were during the recent tests, so we need to adapt to that situation, the same as everyone else of course, to try and find the right stability. But the lap times are not far off, and I think conditions tomorrow and Sunday might be cooler, which could help. We’ll see what tomorrow and Sunday bring and continue to work hard to be as prepared as possible for the first races of the season.”