Starting from eighth on the grid in Portimao, Jonathan Rea finished Race 1 only in fifteenth position, nullifying the good feelings he had felt since the beginning of the weekend. The reasons for the collapse are to be attributed to a technical problem that significantly affected his race, leaving the Northern Irishman with a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I had a problem with the quickshifter, so at a certain point I was no longer able to change gear electronically or I was forced to do it manually. Let’s say that for the high gears I had no problems, but downshifting, especially in the corners, was hard because the bike was nervous. From the low 1’41” I found myself lapping at 1’42″”, he explained.
“This is a very difficult track to manage physically due to all the ups and downs, but up until that point we had been very strong. My R1 was performing well and I was able to make some overtaking moves. So it was a positive race overall, even if there are some aspects to improve and it’s frustrating because I had everything to get a good result,” he admitted.
Two were the most important episodes of his race. “At turn 17 I almost touched Van der Mark – he said – For a moment I lost the front to have more angle, but fortunately I was saved. In any case in the first seven laps, therefore before the problem appeared, I had noticed some progress in terms of chassis and electronics”.
Taking stock of the last appointments, the 1987 Cleese rider said: “In Most the qualifying went badly because I fell on the first lap, Donington was positive and here too I have been fast since Friday. It’s true that in Superpole I didn’t do a perfect lap, but I finished in eighth place and until the mistake I was in the top 5. I’m honestly starting to have more confidence in the bike and the electronics. I have a lot of experience on this track and I can make the difference, but we still have to grow. For example, we lose too much in the first sector where there are two big accelerations. In general the bike is behaving very well and in the race it allowed me to easily overtake. It’s the first time I’ve felt like this since the start of the championship, which means that we’re slowly getting there”.
The regret for a missed placement is definitely alive. “The problem cost me at least a second per lap, without it I could have been the best among the Yamaha riders today. I had the pace to be in the top 5 or 6”, he declared confidently.
Finally, a look to the future and the hypothetical introduction of new aerodynamic appendages. “I don’t know if there will be winglets in 2025, you should ask technicians like Andrea Dosoli. I haven’t heard anything, I just know that they are working on development at the factory. We’ll see in the winter tests. Did I ask for something specific? I’m quite new to the team, so I’m just trying to get in tune with everything, although I hope we can find more power. It’s not easy at all because the regulation requires using approved parts, however in other areas we are reaching the potential. Personally, I’m just focused on providing information to the team to make progress”, he concluded.
