Best qualifying of the season so far for Bautista: “We did a good job today”

After qualifying on the fourth row in Qatar and the third row in Spain last weekend, Team San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista took another step forward to place himself on the second row for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril. The Spaniard qualified sixth fastest despite being held up by a number of slower riders on the racing line over the closing laps.

Alvaro Bautista (6th 1’ 37.917) “We did a good job today. This morning we completed race distance on the hard tyre and it was a positive session. Everything went according to plan in the afternoon too, but on the last soft tyre we ran into a lot of traffic on track and when I tried to push on the very last lap I came up behind Spies in the first turn. It is a dangerous thing to do and I think it is up to all us riders to make sure that when we slow down we move aside and make way for the guys coming behind us. Anyway, a second row start is good for us having qualified on the fourth row in Qatar and the third row at Jerez. Tomorrow we need to make a good start and if we can stay with the guys at the front over the opening laps we can look forward to a good race.”

Fausto Gresini “That was a good effort from Alvaro despite the traffic on track. It’s his best grid position of the year so far at a circuit he doesn’t particularly like, even though he always seems to do well here. A second row position is a good sign, because he is a better racer than qualifier and if he gets a good start and reproduces the pace he showed today he can have a good race.”

Source: Gresini Racing