KUALA LUMPUR: Monster Yamaha Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal is pleased with how well his rookie rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah has been able to adapt to challenging situations.
Poncharal said Hafizh handled the season ending race in Valencia on Sunday, which was red flagged and restarted due to heavy rain, well and is optimistic of his future with the team.
Hafizh finished tenth in the race, which saw numerous riders crashing out, and ended the season in second place in the rookie standings with 46 points.
"Finally the 2018 season is over, it was almost a season which did not want to stop," said Poncharal, referring to the restarted race in Valencia.
"Hafizh had a tough weekend because he almost never rode the MotoGP bike with the Michelin tyres in the wet (before Valencia), so it was a good weekend to learn and I think he learned a lot.
"Although, tenth position is maybe not what he was dreaming of, I think he had a solid weekend and from the first practice on Friday.
"The improvement of his riding style, (his closing) of the gap to the top (group) has been unbelievable.
"Clearly, this guy has a very special feeling on the wet. His experience riding in the wet in Moto2 is now showing in MotoGP.
"I’m also very glad, that he could witness how good his future bike (KTM) is on the wet condition, because this (switching manufacturers) is a big challenge for all of us.
"Hafizh is part of this challenge and from Tuesday (today) morning we will start a new chapter of our life as a team."
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith did well to finish third and eighth in the Valencia race.
After 20 seasons with Yamaha, Tech3 will be switching to KTM machinery next year and will be receiving factory spec bikes and support from the Austrian manufacturer.
Hafizh had earlier this year signed a one-year extension on his contract with Tech3 which will see him through the end of the 2019 season.