If someone had told me on Friday after FP that I’d take pole, then finish P4 in the Sprint and on the podium in the race, I’d have said they were crazy.
I knew that P18 in the afternoon was mostly down to a few issues that stopped us from doing a proper time attack — the base was there, but I also knew that Austria has always been tough for Aprilia.
We got our heads down and worked late into the evening.
And I’ve got to thank Vale (Rossi) too — he gave me a lot of advice and helped me find the right direction. That made a big difference.
On Saturday I went well in Q1, and then in Q2 I nailed an almost perfect lap.
Pole position!
Totally unexpected, especially considering that qualifying has always been a bit of a weak point for us.
But we’ve been working hard on it in the last few races, and the results are finally showing.
I knew I’d struggle a bit in the Sprint to keep up with the Ducati pace.
I fought for the podium, but I couldn’t quite catch Acosta on the KTM and finished P4.
Still happy, especially because I was fast in the warm-up and felt confident going into Sunday.
Lights out. I take the lead, pushing hard — the bike feels great.
I manage to keep Marc (Marquez) about half a second behind me, but then I run into a small issue and he catches up.
I fight back, retake the lead for a moment — proper battle.
Then he gets back in front, and I can’t stick with his pace — he had that little something extra.
Then Fermín (Aldeguer) arrives like a rocket and passes me.
I hold onto third place and bring it home. Great race, great podium.
People told me not to expect too much here in Austria, because Aprilia has historically struggled on this track.
Well… I’d say it turned out way better than anyone expected.
I’m happy, especially because we bounced back strong after the summer break.
And now we go straight into the next one: next weekend we’re racing in Hungary, a brand-new track for all of us.
Honestly, no one really knows what to expect
See you there!
