Italian GP – Mugello – FP1 Quotes125cc & 250cc

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125cc

1st Julián Simón 1.59.437 (21 laps): “The weather has been kind to us all day, which is very important. The heat has taken its toll on the tyre but my Aprilia was phenomenal all session and the team worked really well again. I feel as though leadership of the championship has given me extra confidence and motivation. It’s a different feeling and I hope I hold on to it as the season progresses. Anyway, we won’t get it for free and we have to work and fight hard in every session towards winning more races. Hopefully we can have two more good sessions tomorrow and get a good set-up for the race. The work we did today was based around the tyres and aerodynamics, which is really important here with the slipstreams.”

2nd Sergio Gadea 1.59.721 (23 laps): “I’m happy because everything went well from the first lap. The engine on my Aprilia is working perfectly because of the great job my mechanics are doing and I think we’re starting to reap the fruit. It is really important that we have the confidence and calmness to go fast from the first session although today wasn’t all plain sailing because as always Mugello is bumpy and it’s tricky to find the right set-up. I used the same rear tyre for virtually the whole session and then set a fast lap on a new tyre at the end, which was good enough for second. We have a few issues in the cycle part of my Aprilia but I’m sure we can sort them out tomorrow.”

4th Bradley Smith 1.59.862 (21 laps): “I think it was a good session and with an hour you can test a lot of things. I’m happy with the rear end setting of my Aprilia – at the beginning it was too soft and I was struggling to get on the throttle coming out of the corners but we improved it a lot as the session went on. I imagine the heat affects me more than the locals because I’m English and I’m not used to it! Provisional fourth place, four tenths off and with room for improvement, isn’t a bad start. We’ll work more with the front end tomorrow because having confidence in it through the fast corners here is crucial. Basically the idea will be to make the bike more rigid to try and gain a little stability.”

250cc

1st Álvaro Bautista 1.53.814 (26 laps):
“It is only the first session, but it is obviously always better to be up at the front. I think that we had a good practice, and at the end I was putting in a string of pretty fast laps. The last lap of the session saw me clock my quickest time, without even changing tyres, something that shows that we can go even faster. The confidence that knowing that we have been working well since preseason means that I can go much faster and concentrate more. Being the series leader also takes the heat off, but it is still too early to say what will happen on Sunday. In any case, we’ve started well and I am going to try and win at all cost. My mentality is a winning one, and we want to fight for victory at every race. I love the track, but it is demanding because you have to unlock the secret to three or four parts to go fast.“

13th Mike Di Meglio 1.55.978 (21 laps): “I really didn’t expect it to be so difficult to adapt here, as it is a circuit that I love. With the 250cc bike it is hard to get reference points. I am going to try and work out what I need for tomorrow, because we are far off fast lap times. I’m convinced that we can do this if we keep working like we have been. With the 125cc you corner quickly here, but with the 250cc the direction changes are harder. The bike isn’t as agile and it feels heavier. The last race went the opposite way: good practices and a tough race, but I’m sure that we will be able to do what it takes to have a good Sunday.”

Balazs Nemeth: “This first encounter has been a tough one, because everything was completely new for me. From the team to the bike and the track, it was a lot to get used to. I’d never ridden a two stroke before, so I spent the entire session adjusting my riding position and style on the Aprilia. I improved step by step, but there wasn’t much time to improve. I hope to continue getting better tomorrow, in order to have a good race on Sunday.”

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