This first day at Assen was particularly important for Valentino. The new frame tested in Barcelona provided hope, but confirmation was needed before hope could become reality. The Dutch track, so very different from the Spanish one, was the perfect test bench.

“And it went well - he begins - It is not a given that both sessions at Assen will be on a dry track and that let me work on the new frame. I had the same sensations as in Barcelona. I struggle less and have more fun. I am able to ride this bike the way I like.”

Is everything perfect already?

“No, there is work to do and a lot of things to decide because with this chassis architecture the balance is still not perfect. There is a little chattering and I am not brilliant in the fast corners. In any case, I was 5th in the morning and 6th in the afternoon and that is important in view of tomorrow, partly because it seems like it may rain.”

Will you continue with the new frame?

“Definitely. I prefer it, although I only have one available to me so that complicates things a bit. To be honest, I don’t remember if this is the best Friday of the year, but it went well. I was able to work with more breathing room and focus on tyres and details.”

Could it have arrived earlier?

“There is a bit of disappointment because I think that in Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello and Barcelona we could have done better. At this point it does not matter much. We just need to hope that we will be more competitive from now on.”

Have the doubts about a possible return to the 2016 frame disappeared as well?

“We need to work to improve this frame and look forward.”

You have not won a race since Barcelona last year. Does that have an impact?

“Naturally it is always disappointing not to win, but it doesn’t change much for me in the sense that I am always fully focused and I give 100% whether we have won recently or a long time ago.”

This is a special track for you. Red stamp for redemption?

“Historically it is a good track, but I am coming from some very difficult races. It is not so much the track as what is going on right now in the season that is not a red stamp, but I would really like to battle for the podium and ride a good race on Sunday.”

Are you already at that level?

“My pace is not bad, but not good enough for the podium yet. In FP2 I continued using the soft tyre on the rear because it seems like it can handle race distance, but at the end of the day I don’t like it very much. If it rains tomorrow, deciding on race tyres will be complicated.”

The Michelins seem to work well here.

“Historically they always have here and that is why there is such an even playing field. The differences increase when the tyres suffer. Also, Viñales was not only the fastest on his flying lap, but also in terms of pace. Behind him, a lot of us are close. We need to use what we learned today to prepare for the race on Sunday.”