Former 250GP World Champion Marco Melandri believes the character of the GRT YZF-R1 he will campaign in this year's WorldSBK series suits his riding style better than the Ducati he championed for the past two seasons.

Melandri has been wheeled in to the new satellite team to partner reigning WorldSSP champion Sandro Cortese and after only a small amount of seat time, he already thinks the package can challenge for podiums.

"It's a very good opportunity for myself. I think the Yamaha's character suits my riding style better than others, so I took this opportunity with a big smile, without any pressure, just thinking about it day by day," said Melandri.

"The team is new so I hope my experience helps them to grow quickly. For sure we want to fight for the podium every Sunday, try to get some wins and I think everybody day by day is learning something, the motivation is pretty high."