The Suzuki rider is making the best start to the season since he came to MotoGP, with two podiums in the previous two races, Argentina and Austin, and a spectacular comeback this Sunday in Portimao, where he started third from last on the grid and finished fourth, a position that It could have been even better if it hadn’t run out of the front tyre.
“When I got to Aleix Espargaró I no longer had the front rubber on the right side, so I preferred to stay there, I tried to overtake him, but I saw that I couldn’t and he took me to be able to get away from those behind and secure fourth place” .
A fourth place that came after a comeback of almost 20 places, many in the first round.
“I don’t even know what I did at the start. The traffic lights were far away. I took the outside and that was a risk, but crossing the finish line in tenth or eleventh having started almost last is not easy at all. Maybe I give it more value to this comeback than to the race in Austin. Coming out of the last is not easy”.
A result that, combined with Enea Bastianini’s crash, leaves him second overall, tied with the race winner and now leader Fabio Quartararo.
“What is good about this weekend is the result and my confidence. Not many people showed me the support that I did have today. Now that perspective may change,” he claimed.
“Now I have more control of myself, of my driving style. I felt much more clearly where the limit is.”
One of the keys to this improvement, apart from the personal level, is the 2022 motorcycle.
“Maybe thanks to the evolution of the engine we can feel the bike better. At the end of last year I was in shit, but we had a very good pre-season this year, with my trainers.”
About his future at Suzuki, Alex Rins maintains his speech from the first race.
“From Qatar they told us that they wanted the two riders to continue. Talking with Livio and knowing that Suzuki trusts me is important.”
Rins arrived on Sunday after a weekend with many doubts in wet conditions, which underlines the great work in the box.
“Having a good technical team at your side is very important,” settled the Barcelona native.
