Today (Sunday) Hannes Soomer started from P15, rose three places and finished on P12.

“This was a logical outcome of a disheartening weekend,” he said. “My start was good, I was able to defend my position, but I felt comfortable with the bike only five laps before the finish - this should not have happened. The times we ride are not exactly bad, but Aegerter and other leaders today can obviously make better use of soft compound rear tires.”

The Spanish round was a little bit like Pooh and Piglet going round and round, following their own footprints again and again. “No plan worked this weekend. I believe the engine or my recovering ankle are not holding us back, but we need a lot of work to find the right settings. This time what we got right was entry to a turn, then the center and finally the exit, but not all of them at the same time. Results of the 10th round do not reflect my real skills nor the skills of the team, but now we need to take some time off and figure out where we are stuck.”

So the plan for the Portuguese round next weekend is similar to that of Jerez. “Luckily I remember my main concerns on the track and many variables have been tested. Hopefully what is left will make us faster again.”