French GP – Team Quotes, Qualifying
250cc
1st Álvaro Bautista 1.38.270 (23 laps):
“It was quite windy during qualifying but the track conditions were good. If it doesn’t rain or something strange then I guess the race will be between the same guys that were fighting for pole today. This is quite a short circuit so I can’t see anybody escaping and I’d expect a group race. Hopefully it can be as much fun as Jerez but with a win at the end of it! The important thing will be to get a good start because it is more difficult to pass here than at a lot of other tracks and it will be crucial to be on the pace over the early laps so as not to lose touch with the lead group. This circuit is more favourable to the Hondas but we’ll try and fight for victory. It is obviously important to be consistent but if I see an opportunity to go for the win then I will do so, I won’t be holding back. My pole time today was better than last year which shows that we have a good package.”
5th Mike Di Meglio 1.39.003 (20 laps):
“I’m really happy with the result – mainly because we have done a lot of work and in the end it has paid off. I managed a 39.0 this afternoon but I think I could have gone even faster if I had a bit more feel on the rear. We played with the set-up a little to try and shave off a few more tenths and I felt comfortable but we ran out of time to improve it further. Anyway, I’m happy because we’re fifth on the grid and we can still improve the bike in the warm-up. The track didn’t have as much grip as we might have hoped and the wind made it tricky to ride but hopefully the conditions will be better tomorrow. It looks like it’s going to be a really close race so I hope to get a good start and give myself a chance of running at the front from the beginning.”
16th Ángel Rodríguez 1.40.620 (19 laps):
“It is a long time since I rode a two-stroke in the wet and I crashed this morning just because I didn’t have any feeling in the hard-braking zones. In qualifying we worked carefully to try and solve some chattering problems we were having with the front and made a few changes to the chassis that worked well. I’ve slowly dropped my times and I’m pretty happy with the result taking into account this is only my second day on the bike. I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity and for the patience they are showing with me. We have taken a big step forward but I want to make full use of the warm-up tomorrow and improve even further. It will be a tough race because my pace isn’t great but that is normal considering how long it has been since I rode a two-stroke. I’ll do my best to have fun and if possible finish in the points.”
125cc
6th Bradley Smith 1.48.115 (15 laps):
“The positive side of today was that I was really quick this morning and I quickly built up my confidence. I think the most important thing in those conditions is to stay upright. Unfortunately I crashed this afternoon but thankfully it wasn’t a big one and I was able to get back out on track. Hopefully we get a dry race tomorrow but this is Le Mans and the weather always plays a part in the race. It’s going to be a tough race because after a weekend like this I don’t think anybody is going into it with everything under control. It is hard to make any predictions but I guess whatever the conditions are we’ll have the same guys running up front as usual.”
7th Julián Simón 1.48.334 (16 laps):
“Both sessions today were a bit of a disaster with the weather but in any case it’s the same for everybody and the guy who gets it right sets the fastest time. I’m disappointed not to be on the front row but I’m calm and confident for the race because I know we’ve got a good pace. The main target for tomorrow is to try and finish the race and pick up as many points as possible. It will depend on the track conditions but we’ll weigh the situation up once the race starts. A lot of guys improved today and it looks like we’ll finally have a typical 125 race tomorrow, with a lot of guys up at the front. I just hope to be up there fighting for the podium and maybe even the win, who knows?”
12th Sergio Gadea 1.50.239 (16 laps):
“We’re obviously no the best of friends with our tyres because like in Japan we made the wrong choice today. We’ve been up front all weekend but lost our way a little bit this afternoon. We’re starting from twelfth, which I’m not too upset about because it could have been a lot worse. I don’t tend to struggle at the start so if it’s dry I’ll try and get straight onto the pace I’ve been doing all weekend. If it’s wet I’ll have to take things steadily to make sure we don’t crash out and just finish in the points. There have been a lot of crashes over the past couple of days so we’ll have to be very focused to make sure it doesn’t happen to us. I just hope we get either wet or dry conditions for the race but not a mixture because it will turn the race into a lottery.”
