Aspar rider Karel Abraham says he is “really confused” by his difficult 2018 MotoGP season aboard the two-year-old Ducati GP16, having scored points just twice in the first nine races.
Abraham returned to MotoGP last year with Aspar after an unfruitful debut year in World Superbikes in 2016, and showed strong form on the GP15, scoring 32 points from nine of the 18 events.
Remaining on two-year-old machinery this year, Abraham has so far registered just four points, and is last of the scorers in 23rd.
Speaking ahead of his home round in the Czech Republic, Abraham admits his loss of form this year has left him “really confused”, and says it “feels so difficult to score points” in 2018.
“Of course, I'm really confused because last year everything worked out really well and we managed to managed to make some good results, we were almost scoring points at every single grand prix,” he said.
“We managed to make a couple of top 10s as well, and I was feeling so comfortable, and this year is just the other way around.
“I'm not feeling so comfortable, we are losing a lot and it feels so difficult to score points.
“We are trying to work as hard as we can in order to get back, but it feels like there is some gap that we are not able to keep at the moment.”
Abraham's future in MotoGP is uncertain at the halfway stage of the year, with almost all options taken for next season.
Not in frame for one of the SIC-run Petronas Yamahas, which will take over Aspar's grid slots, Abraham's last premier class option looks to be Xavier Simeon's seat at Avintia.
While the Avintia team is rumoured to be getting GP18s next year, Abraham is adamant he will only stay in MotoGP if he is on a competitive bike, and not the two-year-old machinery he and Simeon currently ride.
“Obviously, not many options to stay in MotoGP. There is just a very few places or seats that are still available, let's say.
“So we are still negotiating to stay here, I really would like to because I love MotoGP.
“But it really depends on the conditions, because if I'm staying it has to be on a competitive bike because I believe we can do a lot better results than we are this year.
“We proved, at least partially, last year. So it has to be a really good bike and good package.”
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