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Friday in Portimão ended without infamy and without praise for the VR46 Racing duo. Fabio Di Giannantonio, 12th in both rounds, experienced a few too many problems. But, as usual, he didn't lose his optimism and even minimized the poor grip that affected the morning session.
"This morning, it felt like a flat track because of the sand that covered the track during the night," he said. "There wasn't much grip, and we were all surprised by that. But, in the end, it was just the beginning of the weekend, so nothing crazy. Otherwise, it was so-so. I struggled a lot in entering throughout the day. In particular, the rear wasn't following me and tended to slip away. If entering corners precisely and fast was my forte, I felt sacrificed today. So overall, I'm not happy, also because we haven't figured out how to improve. It's strange, considering I came from a year and a half of excessive grip. However, the guys are analyzing it, and I'm convinced we'll find a solution. Will the evolution of the track help? It'll be beneficial for everyone, so we'll have to try to go one step further than the competition. I'm honestly not too worried, since this is the first time we've struggled this year."
When he was asked about his alleged physical problems, the rider from Rome firmly denied it: "We're trying to find the best brake configuration for me. As a result, when I don't find the right one, I sometimes have to use my forearm a bit more. I actually had surgery in 2023, but nothing to worry about."
Eighteenth in the morning and sixth in the afternoon, Marco Bezzecchi promoted the sensations he had on the bike. "It went pretty well. I made progress in terms of riding and, overall, of the bike, even if it didn't seem like that in the morning. We also found something positive that allowed me to adapt better in terms of style in the afternoon session. Something is still missing, but we're on the right track."
His intentions are clear, in spite of the ups and downs. "Every day here is a challenge. You have to stay focused and keep pushing. Today, with a small change, I found the confidence that I was lacking and that allowed me to be more incisive in the time attack. I'm not even bad on the pace. With a heavily worn hard front tire, I reached a 1'39"2. Of course, considering the conditions, it should all be taken with a grain of salt. In any case, tomorrow we'll try to take advantage of the sprint, in order to organize things a bit more," he contemplated.
Finally, a happy note. "Yesterday, in the pit walk, there was a little boy who was very happy to see me, so we had him come to the garage and put him on my bike to take a picture. He was happy. When I saw him again, he had my T-shirt," he concluded.
