Usually the thank-yous come at the end. This time I want to say them first.

These have been difficult days, very difficult. After Germany I had to have two operations — the collarbone, which was a complicated fracture and the recovery in the first few days was hard, and then the knee: what was supposed to be a simple thing ended up being more complex, the wound was reopened and sorted all the way down to the bone. It wasn’t easy, physically or mentally.

Being here at Silverstone was possible thanks to so many people. Prof. Porcellini and his whole team, Dr. Landi in Rimini for the knee. Carlo, who has never trained me this hard or this intensely. Vale, the whole Academy and Aprilia, who believed in it. And my family, always. Thank you all, genuinely — without you I wouldn’t have been on the grid.

Friday I couldn’t wait to get on the bike. And maybe it showed — fastest in pre-qualifying, new lap record. But I knew a flying lap was one thing, and that the race would be a completely different story. My body wasn’t at 100% yet, and sure enough on Saturday morning in Q2 I struggled a lot and couldn’t ride the way I wanted.

The Sprint gave me the answers I was looking for. Good start, good rhythm, a huge amount of fatigue after the first few laps but in the end a third place that paid me back and moved me too.

Sunday morning I arrive at the warm-up struggling. The main race is an unknown — I know the pace won’t be what it was in the Sprint, but 20 laps at Silverstone never seem to end.

Good start, the first laps I was going strong, I could feel the bike, I felt good. Then around mid-race I gave way to Jorge, and started defending third from Alex Marquez. The last laps were a real fight — I had no strength left, the pain was making itself felt, I had nothing more. But I couldn’t give up.

I couldn’t give up for all the work the team has done. For the grind I put myself through this summer. For all the people who sacrificed their holidays to get me back on track.

Chequered flag. Third.

I’m happy, I’m tired. I can’t take any more. But it was beautiful — it was worth it.