The five rookies on the grid have been relatively inconspicuous since the start of the season, with only Darryn Binder and Marco Bezzecchi making it to the top 10 of the race, with Fabio Di Giannantonio waiting until Le Mans to score his first points .
In Tech3, Remy Gardner has two top-15 finishes, but Raúl Fernández is still chasing the points. The two riders, coming from Moto2, are having a very different year from the 2021 season, when they competed for the intermediate category title.
The boss of the Tech3 team had fun on the MotoGP podcast, recalling that the world championship “has never been so competitive”, which especially complicates the appearance of young talents: “The competitiveness of the grid does not help rookies in their first seasons They have to understand that.”
“It’s difficult when, they were first and second in Moto2 the year before. We are used to being on the front row in almost every race, going to Parc Fermé , being on the podium in almost every race, going to conferences press…”
“It’s a bit shocking because even though they know it’s going to be difficult, everyone says: ‘I think I’ll do well and I’ll be with the leaders, the test week will be enough for me to understand and discover the category,’ but it’s not. It’s difficult for them, and also for us because I always say that a happy driver is a fast driver and a positive driver.”
In this way, Poncharal asks his riders to forget pure performance for a moment, and to do their homework to perfect their learning curve with patience, although he understands their eagerness and desire to shine.
“My job in the team is to make sure they stay positive, keep their spirits up, keep believing in themselves and understand that sometimes a 15th or 16th place is a good result. It’s not easy to swallow when you’re a champion. I know, but they don’t have the pressure to finish in the top 15.”
“The only pressure they have is to learn, do as many laps as possible, learn not to crash because you have to finish the race, see the checkered flag, have the experience of a MotoGP race, which is very different from other categories. Trying to learn in a new category, try to know more things and have more people around you, that’s what you have to do in a first season. “
“Sometimes they are too impatient, but I understand: they are young, they are fast and they want glory. And 15th or 17th place does not give much glory. It is difficult for them to understand.”
“You can see the face of those around them. They won and went from Moto2 to MotoGP, they are the happiest in the world, and a little later their face changes. I think it’s good to be impatient, but don’t be too impatient, because there’s a learning process. Whatever your talent, you have to go through a learning process. If you’re not successful, you miss your first season.”
Jorge Martín and Fabio Quartararo’s record as rookies doesn’t make things any easier, especially in a championship with tiny differences, so Poncharal doesn’t want Remy Gardner and Raúl Fernández to compare themselves to them.
“In our world, 1+1 is not always 2. Chemistry is needed, a very particular balance sometimes. We can see the glass half full or half empty and I can tell you many stories with a glass half empty and another glass half full. There are many things that cannot be explained. Why is Fabio [Quartararo] the only one who can be fast on a Yamaha? No one says. Are Morbidelli and Dovizioso bad? Not at all, they were both world champions.”
“Marc [Marquez] was the only good one on a Honda a few years ago, Valentino [Rossi] was the fastest on the Yamaha before. It’s very difficult to explain why and I think it’s important to understand that motorsport is also a team sport. You have to believe in the people you work with, trust them, from the team to the drivers, passing through the engineers. We have to listen to each other and if you want to be ahead, you have to all work together and talk, exchange frankly and not be afraid to say something.”
“We have to stick together. That’s what Fabio is doing well at the moment and other champions have done well when they were at the top,” he concluded.
