SBK | Iannone: “Future? Only if I win, I’m not afraid of staying at home”

The Portimao round did not start in the best way for Andrea Iannone, forced to travel in the backup positions and then turn things around on Sunday. The Goeleven team rider finished Race 2 in fourth position, just missing out on the podium and closing the weekend as the best independent.

Despite a less than brilliant start to the weekend, the Vasto rider leaves Portugal with satisfaction: “I am certainly happy with the progression we had during the weekend. Arriving here with the kilometres I had is not trivial, because the references are difficult to take. It is not an easy track, but in every session I have always had a progression. Without references from the year before, it is difficult to make progress on the bike, maybe next year with a little more experience we start with a little advantage”.

Experience played a fundamental role in Portimao, a new track for the Goeleven rider, who crashed in Race 1, but redeemed himself on Sunday, even dreaming of the podium for a moment: “Race 2 went well, we definitely lacked something to make the most of our package. In my opinion, with Bautista’s crash, the podium could have been within reach, but we still have a few things to learn. In the last five laps I was suffering a bit from the drop in fuel. On the front I couldn’t brake like at the beginning and this slowed me down a bit, the bike was getting nervous. But I’m learning now, in the end it’s okay, we’ve made good progress”.

“My target is very high, but we need to build a plan to get to fight with the best, because there are tracks where we are closer and tracks where the rivals move away. But to win you have to be 100% everywhere. It’s a very technical thing that’s not easy to understand. This year I’m putting a lot of myself into it, not just in riding. I spend a lot of time doing things that aren’t my thing as a rider. I’d like to be a rider and that’s it,” explained Iannone, who is still learning about the bike and the championship.

The Abruzzese is taking the measure of a Superbike in which he was expected to be competitive right away. After an explosive start to the season, The Maniac he has started to struggle, but it is part of the learning process: “Let’s see what will happen, how best to fix things. Surely one more year is always better, because if you are intelligent you will have gained more experience. You can fill some gaps, but there are things that do not depend on me, I could have the meager consolation of saying that I am okay with myself when I know that I have given 100%”.

With this first half of the season behind us, it’s already time to think about 2025. What’s in Andrea Iannone’s plans? In Portimao, the rumor began to circulate that he would be close to the GRT team, but the Vasto rider didn’t want to provide details: “I started talking to Goeleven, but at the moment nothing is certain, we’ll see. It’s an intense week for me, important for the future. I want to understand everything well and I’m not stressing myself because we’re halfway through the season of my first year. In the future we’ll be able to understand something more”.

“I arrived this year, but it’s as if I broke all the plans that the manufacturers had made or that I was expected to be more competitive. It’s not easy, because maybe the manufacturers start projects with drivers who have already won, for example. It’s not easy to fit in, you have to build the best situation. But I come from the sofa, so it’s more tiring. All this must have a meaning, that is, have the prospect of fighting for a world championship. If there is no such prospect, it becomes complex. I’m certainly not a driver who consoles himself with a fifth position or doing the independent race,” he said very frankly.

You know, a rider’s goal is to win. It’s the same for Iannone: “I’ve always raced to try to win, to fight with the greatest, I’ve always trained. I’m someone who dreams big, today I don’t intend to settle for racing. Instead, I’m staying at home. Is it a shame? Yes, but if you can’t race to win, you might as well stay at home. Embracing a project that can win in a year or two? Absolutely yes. I’m not afraid of staying at home or taking different steps. I’m happy to put certain things together, but I also have to understand how important I am for certain projects or not.”