INTERVIEW I ROAD RACER JOE ROBERTS
P98
other people to get advice and
then give that to your crew chief.
It can be a mess if you really
don't believe in him.
"Giovanni is a legend. I'd
never ask him what's on the
has scored podiums with Takaa-
ki Nakagami, Franco Morbidelli,
Mattia Pasini and Bastianini in
recent years—is Giovanni Sandi,
the squad's technical chief. A
former engineer for Aprilia's
all-conquering 250cc team in
the mid-90s, Sandi has worked
alongside lions of the class,
including Max Biaggi, Tetsuya
Harada and Jorge Lorenzo. Last
year's title with Bastianini was
the eighth of his career.
"It's funny because in past
times there have maybe been
crew chiefs I had who I didn't
fully trust their opinion or judge-
ment. You have to try and un-
derstand exactly what is on the
bike. Sometimes to even go to
bike. I trust he has so much
experience and knowledge that
he can make things work for any
kind of rider or any kind of style
by how many championships
he's won. It creates a calmness
when you have someone you
can trust. I mean, it's not always
perfect. There have been times
this year I haven't loved the bike
I'm riding. But I wouldn't blame
anyone. It's just that we didn't
find it that weekend together.
Sometimes it can be difficult with
certain things that go on.
"He helps me try and work
on some areas of my riding to
take the most of it. To be more
consistent on used tires [for
example]. Fast on used tires is
Third on the grid
at Le Mans was
a highlight so far
in 2021.
There are places
we've come so
close. I can
really say a
podium and win
would be nice.
I stayed in the
class because I
wanted to win.
