The starting fifth place Alex Rins Friday’s GP of the Americas does not reflect the reality of his potential with a view to Sunday’s race, because he was the driver with the fastest pace on the track. An electronic failure in the morning on the Suzuki made him change his strategy for FP2 and he didn’t push for the fastest lap, but he has the speed and feels very comfortable.
-You don’t remember such a good Friday for a long time, with a great rhythm…
-It’s been a good day. I feel very good with the bike and from the beginning I have had a good feeling with it. In the morning we had a problem with an electrical part of the bike, which forced us to use two new tires in FP1. I think we have been the only ones and this has forced us to change the strategy for FP2. We did our best lap in the middle of the session and with that tire we did a seven-lap run to see how it degraded and the truth is that it went quite well. I feel like I have good control on the bike. We will have to see, because the others have also gone fast. There are a lot of people riding on the top three, but I’m happy and we’re the only ones who’ve done a lot of laps on the soft. For me it is the race tire.
-He won here in 2013 in Moto3, in 2016 in Moto2 and in 2019 in MotoGP. Is it written that he will win again three years later, in 2022, to continue with that sequence?
I hope it’s written. I would like. The level in MotoGP is super high and it’s hard to stand out, but you have to be constant. Our next goal is qualification.
-How much confidence does the track give you?
-It gives me good confidence. Every year we come, I feel very comfortable and especially this year. They have more or less fixed the potholes. There are still, but less, and I’m happy and I feel good on the bike.
– Is it a weekend to attack?
-It is a weekend to do well, not to attack or conserve. We’ll see during the race. Everything can be rotated. It will be essential to qualify well and, from there, analyze the race. If there’s one thing I’m doing well this year, it’s race analysis, so we’ll see when I’m up there.
-How did you see Marquez? He has coincided with him on the track.
-The truth is that I have seen him well. The laps I have done with him in FP1 I have seen him well, from the site. I think he cost him a lot in FP2, but I’m still firm and I’m not ruling him out of the fight for victory.
-So you don’t believe your Thursday speech ruling yourself out for victory?
It’s Marc Marquez. I want to say that, if he has come here, it is because he is well and he is here to win.