The Malaysian Grand Prix that makes us dream

Friday, November 1st - Practices

A strong start to the race weekend in Malaysia with free practice sessions held in mixed dry and wet conditions. Both Bertelle and Almansa began the session with teamwork and impressive speed, dominating the early minutes with times that placed them in the Top 3. A small excess of confidence led Almansa to a harmless slide around the middle of the session, while Bertelle continued his laps without issues. The session ended with excellent results: David Almansa finished in 2nd place, recording the highest top speed, while Matteo Bertelle secured 5th, the fastest among the Italian riders.

Practice 1 marked the first session on a dry track, providing the team and the riders with the opportunity to officially test the new engine from Honda. Both riders found good speed after a few laps, aiming to position themselves in the Top 14 to secure direct access to Q2. In the final 6 minutes of the session, they attempted a time attack, but, caught in traffic on the track, the riders couldn't achieve their target. The focus now shifts to Practice 2 tomorrow morning, when faster times are expected thanks to improved weather conditions.

Saturday, November 2nd - Practices and Qualifying

The track was cooler in Practice 2 compared to Practice 1, allowing all riders to improve their lap times. It was a good session to continue testing the new engine for both riders, using the data collected on Friday and working with the Honda engineers. Positive times for both David and Matteo, who managed to improve despite a slight worsening of track conditions due to rain midway through the session.

Both riders found themselves in Q1, aiming to secure entry into Q2, and immediately started with great speed, with David momentarily taking the top spot. In the second run, Almansa stayed calm and, without improving his time, finished in second place, earning access to Q2 to fight for pole position. Bertelle put in a strong lap but couldn't make it into Q2, penalized by the lack of a slipstream: he ended up riding completely alone and missed the target by just 51 thousandths of a second.
David Almansa maintained his good pace in the second part of qualifying, securing 9th position on the starting grid with a fast lap set without any slipstream, which could have further boosted his performance.

Sunday, November 3rd - Race

A lightning-fast David Almansa, who shot up from 9th to 2nd at the first corner, skillfully navigating through traffic and contacts in the chaos, even taking the lead in 1st position.
A good start also for Matteo Bertelle, who, despite starting from the back, managed to gain positions during the first lap. Almansa’s strong race start had him leading the first four laps of his career, never being overtaken and showing great confidence in managing the race.

Meanwhile, Bertelle continued his advance, moving into the points zone by mid-race. However, Almansa’s rookie enthusiasm led him to push hard, wearing out his tires slightly ahead of the expected drop-off. This caused him to lose positions as the race went on, although he maintained good pace and speed.

Bertelle’s comeback proved effective, but being stuck behind another rider prevented him from closing in on the front group. He finished the race in 9th place, having made ten overtakes, followed by Almansa in 11th position.

Riders Comments

Matteo Bertelle was satisfied with his comeback, despite a few setbacks: “I was very calm during the race; I knew I had good speed and a solid pace, especially because my qualifying position was due to a mistake, not a lack of speed. I’m convinced that if I hadn’t run wide after a contact with another rider, I could have fought for even higher positions. A huge thanks to the team for their hard work, and now we prepare for the next and final race, wherever it may be!”

Great confidence from David Almansa, who faced some challenges with the tires and temperatures: “I’m really happy with this race; I had a great start and led for 4 laps. I felt really good on the bike, but there was a quick drop in tire performance, and the high temperatures forced me to slow down my pace slightly as the laps went on. I’m learning from these mistakes to avoid repeating them in the next race and finish the season even stronger.”