Paolo’s Blog

AUSTIN GP 22/04/18

The first official race done in Austin, Texas, was the Formula1 USA Grand Prix in 2012, with the amazing victory of Lewis Hamilton. From 2012 the circuit has been modified and adapted to MotoGP motorbikes which began to battle there in 2013. Unluckily we didn’t excite as much as Hamilton did. We have a great potential, we know we can fly high, but we can’t do that yet.

Niccolò began the race crashing and he ends in 24th position. This last frustration must change his mind. He is a champion, I think that from the very beginning when he started racing in the world championship. He’s an excellent rider, and with less paranoia, he would be the one to beat. That’s why we had a “face to face” meeting on Sunday, with all the race timing data. Nicco, with a broken livery and a furious airbox, did almost the same lap-times of Martin, who was battling for the podium with a perfect bike.
Nicco had some difficult moments in his career but this is the right year to change, to demonstrate who he is and what he can do. That’s why he needs to push away stereotypes and conjectures. If you think you have less feeling with your bike than others or that your bike is slower or so, that should be a reason to push more, to look for your limits and not to give up. Thinking about what the others have more than you it’s a waste of time and energy. You should find the strength to transform it in a positive vibe, a reason more to open the gas!!!

Tatsuki keeps confirming my idea of him: a fast rider who’s growing race by race. On Saturday he battled for the pole until the very last second, closing the T3 with an advantage of a half second, lost in T4 maybe for “pole position fear” maybe for “performance anxiety”. He needs to be more aggressive, his kindness in life is penalizing him. When something unexpected happened, he spend too much time thinking instead of acting, he is thoughtful, a perfectionist. But he needs to understand that who wins the race is not the one who does the best lap time or the right line, the one who does all the homework. The race is made of 26 laps where you have to play every second at your 100%. It’s a metaphor for life. The leader wins, the one who even taking the wrong lines, even loosing important tenths in the first sector, has the strength to push even more, the courage to say “ok, if he brakes here, I can brake 5cm further”.

Two riders as Antonelli and Suzuki should always be in the top5, they are able to do so and this is what I want them to reach.

Still in Austin’s jet-lag, we’re packing for Valencia, where our “kids” project goes on in the Junior World Championship and the European Talent Cup!

PaoloSic58