Andrea Iannone certainly thought he would get more from this weekend in Misano Adriatico. In the test at the end of May he didn’t feel good on the Romagna track, but he hoped to make progress by taking advantage of the data collected and the work done “at home” by the Go Eleven team. Unfortunately, the results were below expectations: seventh in Race 1, fifth in the Superpole Race and eleventh in Race 2. The latter was particularly disappointing.
Superbike Misano, Iannone’s analysis
At the end of the day, the driver from Abruzzo explained why he finished the round in Emilia-Romagna with a negative performance: “In Race 2 we tested the new rear tire brought by Pirelli. We have had experience, we are curious. When you don’t have the pace to be at the top, you try everything. We tried this card for today, to try to improve, but unfortunately the situation has gotten worse. It was the worst weekend since I returned to racing, I struggled in every session and in every race. However I got some points and didn’t fall, that’s important. By choosing the right tire I would have been in the top 10fighting between fifth and seventh position“.
Iannone admitted that the fact of being in an independent structure is inevitably a factor that influences him, because the reaction times to problems are different and it is more complicated to find solutions: “It was difficult to manage the situation this weekend, we didn’t work at our best. But it’s normal, we are a private team. We try to give 100%, but we are far from an official team when we find ourselves in difficulty. The difference is large and it is normal. In the first races I performed a miracle, because I was close to the leaders and I fought for the podium. That wasn’t normal. Today I made a mistake, I took responsibility for choosing a different tyre. Everyone had the standard SCX on the rear, but I wanted to take a risk and this time I was wrong“.
The Maniac looking for improvements
Andrea had already understood in the test that the round at Misano would be very demanding, although he clearly had the hope of being able to make the progress necessary to be competitive: “I thought I was further ahead and obviously we always aim for the maximum, though given how the test went I was aware that it would be difficult to be close to the official riders. With the high temperatures we thought we could improve, but instead we suffered even more. We tried them all and I couldn’t make a difference. The bike was difficult to manage, I couldn’t get it into corners well and I made several long runs, losing several positions. I had a good start, but when you don’t have any you don’t have any“.
Even if he doesn’t race for an official team, Iannone is convinced that in Go Eleven there is room to grow significantly over the course of the season: “We have to work better in general, take steps shift after shift. It’s something we’re missing, both in terms of electronics and chassis. We have not managed to grow on these aspects. I don’t give up on the fact that I can’t win because I don’t have an official team and an official bike. I am of the opinion that we must always aim for the maximum, I give it my all. There are things we can do better, there is teamwork to be done and we have room to grow. We have to react“.
Bautista and Ducati Panigale V4 R
Ducati very strong in 2023 with Alvaro Bautista, while in 2024 there seem to be more problems than The Maniac cannot explain in detail: “I can’t talk about last year, because I was on the couch. I see that Alvaro is struggling more than in the past. He won two world championships and has always been fast. He also has a big acceleration and speed advantage over us, because in total I think he is 16 kilos less than me as a motorbike-rider package. This is not a controversy, I have no interest in making it, but it is a free advantage. This year he too is suffering“.
Bautista hinted that perhaps the Panigale V4 R has reached its limit, but Iannone believes there could be more potential to be brought out of the bike: “I don’t know what I’ll do and where I’ll be, but if I were to be in Ducati I’d like to think that the Panigale V4 R still has room for growth. I don’t want to throw in the towel and say that this bike has already done its best. Seeing my situation, I say that by working in a certain way there is still potential that can be expressed. I’m not 100%. But it’s not easy to get to the level of the factory teams, they work very differently“.
Iannone: Superbike or MotoGP in 2025?
Finally, a joke about a possible return to MotoGP, which cannot be ruled out for next year: “You don’t close doors, you have to evaluate things very carefully. Anyone who needs to know my priorities knows them. I said that after Misano I would start to really think about my future and this will be a very important week for me. The good thing is that there are good options either way. The truth is that I have a priority, let’s see what happens“.
In recent days the rider admitted that he would like an official team, which he could have in Superbike if Alvaro Bautista retired at the end of the season. The Spaniard will perhaps only decide after Donington whether he will continue racing or step aside. As far as MotoGP is concerned, the only hypothesis is represented by Prima Pramac Racing, where owner Paolo Campinoti would like to give him an opportunity again.
Photo: Go Eleven
