Andrea Iannone isn’t exactly jumping for joy, but after the qualifiers at the Grand Prix of Aragón, the Suzuki rider appears more satisfied than usual, thanks to his tenth place finish at just 654 thousandths of a second behind Viñales’ pole position.

Andrea pushed his number 29 GSX-RR as hard as he could: “This tenth place time is not what we were dreaming of - the Italian clarifies - but we can’t consider it a bad result either. On this track we struggle less than usual. Even in the wet the feeling was better than what I’ve had in the last outings. In fact, I had fun riding my bike.”

What were you lacking to be able to start farther forward?

“We could have been a few tenths better which would have put us one row farther forward, but on the flying lap I made a mistake on T1 in the direction change. That is because we are always right on the edge, although on this track we struggle less and we are a lot closer, with less of a gap.”

What will your tyre choice be tomorrow?

“We need to improve grip on the rear. I think that if we improve grip, we’ll be able to manage tyre wear better. I certainly won’t be able to win tomorrow, but I’ll have fun from start to finish.”

Did Valentino surprise you?

“No, because he was riding well and you could tell. This year in qualifying he has always done well and I think that he belongs there. I am happy that Rossi is back.”