Rinaldi ‘couldn't ask for more from Friday at Donington’

The factory Ducati rider, yet to sign for 2023, slipped from third to sixth over the Friday sessions, but was left just 0.005s behind title leading team-mate Alvaro Bautista.

Rinaldi also believes his pace is currently a match for all but Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha), first and second after the opening day.

“I'm really happy because I never felt this good in Donington. My pace today was good. I was similar to Alvaro with the same tyre, he's the reference with this bike and for us this track is so difficult,” Rinaldi said.

“I think that we have the place to fight for the podium - not for the win, because at the moment Johnny is really fast comparing to us, and Toprak is a question mark because he will always be there in the race.

“But I think me and Alvaro have the same pace and it's at the pace of Lowes and Redding, who might struggle after 6-7 laps, so I think we can be fast in the race.”

The Italian added that even his accident, a low speed fall at the final hairpin, was an expression of his new found confidence.

“I'm not a rider that crashes. But today I crashed because I'm feeling really good with the bike and I say, OK, I want to try to overcome the limit.

“You have to find the limit sometimes. I found the limit and I know what I have not to do tomorrow.

“So really happy about today. For sure we haven’t done nothing yet, but I couldn't ask for more for Friday in Donington Park.”

Revealing he has found some seven tenths of a second over his speed at the British circuit last season, Rinaldi credited braking and corner entry gains.

“I worked hard and it’s paid off, it's nothing in particular,” he said. “I'm faster in the braking zone, comparing to last year and I have more confidence to enter with more speed in the corners.

“It's just speed that comes from knowing the bike and my crew chief knowing me more. Also the arrival of Alvaro helps, the atmosphere in the box is really good and everyone is working in one way.”

Rinaldi: ‘I want to stay with this team for 2023’

Although he has scored less than half the points of Bautista, Rinaldi’s first podiums of the season have helped him climb to sixth in the standings – and done his harm of keeping the factory Ducati seat no harm.

“I don't lie, I want to stay with this team and with his bike. I don't want to go in another place,” Rinaldi said.

“But my first goal is try to fight for the win, try to fight for the title. In [previous] years, I wasn't that good to overcome the problems or to understand 100% the bike, but I think I'm on the way to do that because if I look today – at the worse track for us - the pace is similar to the leader of the championship.

“I arrived from a really good test in Misano where we broke the lap record and I understood a lot from that test about the bike. So I don't have pressure. I'm really excited when I jump on the bike now and I didn't have this feeling for a while.

“Like everybody saying, I just need to do the results [to keep the Ducati seat alongside Bautista for 2023], but I think now we are in a good shape and the results will come.

“I have no pressure on my mind. No fear, I just enjoy riding and I enjoy Donington, which is strange! So positive vibes. I think that we on a good moment now and let's see what happens.”