Team HRC concludes a very positive test in sunny Catalunya

“Generally speaking, I’m very happy with these two test days. On the morning of day one we struggled with the brake setup and it also took me some time to readapt to the tyres and find my position on the bike, the setup of which is quite different for the Suzuka 8h’s one. It took a few hours to sort all these things but we were able to fix everything in the early afternoon and start to work effectively. I began feeling good and comfortable on my bike again and I also tried a handbrake that I liked. I couldn’t fully exploit it on day one but the more I used it, the more I got used to it and I think we will keep working in this area to further improve it. We tried a number of different setups, finding good pace on used tyres, and we also went for a fast lap with a qualifying tyre and were quick. So overall we leave here very happy.”

“After having been forced to miss a lot of testing, I’m really happy with how these two days have gone. We had some extra jobs to do after missing the Donington and Misano tests, so we made many changes to the bike to understand the direction and we were able to make good progress, particularly today. We have found the way and I’ve finally got back my good feeling on the bike and was able to find a strong race pace. It was just a pity we couldn’t try a soft tyre, which was something we had planned for the final minutes of the session but then a storm forced us to pit. As I said, it was a very productive test that I hope will prove helpful during the second part of the season. I’m also pleased with a view to next year of course – you can be sure that the team and I will continue to aim for the top where we want to be.”