MotoGP riders recap mixed conditions on Friday in Qatar
Heavy showers at the Lusail International Circuit on Friday evening caused delays and ultimately a change in the schedule. With the usual Friday 60-minute MotoGP Practice being substituted for a 45-minute MotoGP Free Practice 2.
The key practice session for a direct seed to Q2 will now take on Saturday, from 1340 to 1425 Doha time, while the sprint race will get underway at 1900 Doha time, which equates to 0300 AEDT Sunday morning.
Predictably the fastest times were set in the dry opening session, where Jorge Martin led Aleix Espargargo, Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez. In the damp session it was Marc Marquez on top ahead of Augusto Fernandez, Pedro Acosta and Jack Miller.
Jorge Martin“I think we don’t have to change a lot of the bike, it is what it is, we will try to be fast tomorrow morning to qualify and then to do a great sprint, but overall, yeah, the day was great and a bit tricky. I feel it was a nice decision, it was too tricky and too risky to try to push with those conditions, so we just tried the track, now we can do the feedback and hopefully tomorrow is dry and we can race, a nice race.”
“First official day and it was important to start with a good feeling without ending up overdoing. It went well, despite the rain… it was a strange day without time attack which was moved to tomorrow. The goal was Q2 and we’ll try tomorrow, but the feeling in both dry and wet conditions were good. On the dry there are 3 to 4 riders who are quicker than us, but we need to keep working and keep discovering the bike little by little.”
Marc MarquezFrancesco Bagnaia“This is surely not the day one I was expecting. I was lacking a little bit of feeling, but it’s only the first day; we also had our first wet session with the new bike, and obviously there is work to do with this type of track conditions. We know our potential and how far we can go, and we know that we can be strong on this track – so no pressure. Tomorrow’s schedule is going to be quite an intense one, with Practice as the first session, but if things go as we expect, then we’ll be fast and competitive.”
“I’m happy with the way we started this season. The feeling in the first practice sessions was the same as in the tests, which was extremely good, despite the slightly different grip situation. We are already lapping fast with race tyres. The RS-GP did well and I had fun riding it. In the second session I just did a few laps to get a feel for the way the track is when it’s wet under the lights and I must say that the situation was better than I had expected. I’d say that, in the event of rain, we’ll be able to race without a problem, although I do hope it doesn’t rain here in the desert!”.
Aleix EspargaroPedro Acosta“I am super happy with our first day, because we have improved our feeling from both Qatar and Malaysia, and we were able to ride on both dry and wet, which is always good for a first round. We are making little steps forward, we are staying calm, and we have to be happy with the best we can get.”
“We have a lot of work to do. I still don’t feel super well on the bike. But we have tomorrow afternoon to find something and try to improve the feeling. We tried a different bike today, but I didn’t really like it, and we know that with low-grip conditions we tend to struggle. So, this is what we have to focus on, and hopefully we can make a step in the dry conditions. I expect to give my 100% tomorrow. To be able to enter Q2 straight away will be difficult, but we are going to give our maximum, and I think we will have to be happy with the 100% that we will give.”
Fabio QuartararoMaverick Vinales“It was an interesting day because it’s always important to compare the different track conditions. Sensations on the dry track were outstanding – in line with what we had already found during the tests. I compared several set-ups on both bikes and we confirmed the good sensations. Even if our plans for tomorrow have changed and it will be an intense day, the sensations and the desire to do well haven’t changed”.
“It was nice to get the 6th position. We put the new tyre, and it worked well. Today’s job proves that we’ve got potential, and as long as I feel the way I felt today, I want to push and stay with the top guys. I will try to do the best job possible tomorrow in the qualifying session, and we will see. I believe in it, and this is important.”
Johann ZarcoAlex Rins“Today was an acceptable day. We struggled in FP1, in the afternoon, trying to find a good grip level. The track was not dirty, but the track was still lacking grip, and in those conditions we struggle a little. But we worked quite hard today. Let’s see tomorrow if we are able to be close and get into Q2. The wet FP2 session was just like a test for me. The risk was high: riding in the wet with my leg like this. So, I just said: ‘Go out on track and make some laps’, and that was it.”
“A strange day, everything postponed to tomorrow! The goal always remains the direct access to Q2, once achieved, the weekend can take another path. In terms of riding, I’m working on the same aspect: I struggle to stop the bike, I have the sensation of always going wide, I’m not perfect. We have taken some steps, we have a path to follow, but I also have to adapt my riding style. It wasn’t bad in the wet, there wasn’t much water on the track and it’s no easy to understand, with this kind of light, how much is wet.”
Marco BezzecchiEnea Bastianini“It has been a little bit of an unusual day for Qatar, with the rain being the rarest of sights here. Everything went well in the end, as I was able to finish the two sessions in seventh place and felt quite good in both track conditions. We surely have to make a few steps forward in the wet, but we did well in the dry. We’re strong with regards to the time attack, but we still need to work a little bit more on our pace. I’m sure the others will catch up tomorrow, so we’ll need to make another step.”
“The first day went quite well. This morning we worked on different settings to solve some issues we had in testing. It didn’t go exactly how we wanted and the afternoon rain kind of “ruined” our plans. It was still important to ride in the rain and we adapted well also in the conditions. Tomorrow will be a stressful Saturday so we need to sleep well tonight.”
Alex MarquezAugusto Fernandez“I am happy to be back for a race weekend! Coming from a tough pre-season, the first session was not easy as we started from where we left. We are getting better step by step, but there is still a lot of work to do. On the wet, I felt so good. The bike worked well, the feeling was there and we were able to do a good second session. Tomorrow, we need to make the same step in the dry, and hopefully we can be more competitive.”
“We had to change our plans, the rain complicated things, but I’m still happy with the feeling in the dry. We were quite fast and I’m positive for tomorrow morning’s session. Let’s wake up on the right foot, the Q2 is the goal and then the first two rows on the grid, crucial for the race. I’m sure that in addition to the weather, tomorrow, with the Moto3 and Moto2 on the track, the track conditions will also be better.”
Fabio Di GiannantonioJoan Mir“It was a pretty unexpected start to the season; in MotoGP anything really can happen! Today is what it was, with the second session being wet there was only so much we could do. In the rain here, the spray with the dust and the sand makes it very difficult to see but it was interesting to ride here in the wet for the first time. Let’s see what the weather will do for the next few days. We need to make the most of what will be a busy day tomorrow, doing the time attack and then straight into Qualifying. From the test we have a bit of an idea of what to expect, so let’s do our best.”
“Today feels like a positive day, the gap felt lower than at the test and while the position has not improved it’s okay because we are focusing on improving the bike. Tomorrow morning, we will see the potential of the soft rear because we did not get to work on it too much and it’s something I think we need to improve with. It will be very intense all day tomorrow because all of the riders are so close, everyone is within a second. We found something today and I think that there is even more to come, it’s a good day when you close the gap during practice.”
Luca MariniRaul Fernandez“It was a very positive first day here overall. In the morning, I felt good. FP1 was a calm session, I have just been trying the bikes to find out if I can get the same feeling I had during the test. It was important not to take any risks and find out how the track felt. Now we know everything works and it was successful. Also, the late session; I’ve never tried the MotoGP bike at night on a wet track before, but it was fun. I think it was a good decision to decide on calling the second session FP2 and not having it timed for Qualifying. There’s hopefully no rain tomorrow, so this should be better and a normal day.”
“Today was the first day and the start of the season. I guess everyone was a bit nervous and was just relieved to get the first practice out of the way. It was a mixed day because we had a dry and a wet session. The wet session didn’t go that well, but in the dry, I actually felt good and with some margin to improve. So hopefully tomorrow we can do that.”
Miguel OliveiraTakaaki Nakagami“We started the day with the same setting as in the test. However, I couldn’t quite find the feeling on the bike. We had some interesting plans for the afternoon, but the rain altered our ideas, preventing us from testing what we believed could be helpful. Tomorrow’s practice session is essential, and we are determined to secure a favourable position for the Sprint.”
In the dry Moto2 Free Practice session on Friday morning, Fermin Aldeguer (Sync SpeedUp) showed exactly why he’s a favourite for the crown as he started the season on top. Still, he only narrowly beat Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) by 0.034s to top the opening session of the year, as Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took P3. But that was Free Practice, before rain came down and changed the game once the times began to count for Q2.
That Practice 1, the first deciding the combined times, saw a slow start as the rain hit just before bikes went on track. Xavier Artigas (KLINT Forward Factory Team), Aron Canet (Fantic Racing), and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika GAS UP Team) headed out for a spin, but by the end of play the fourth rider to set a time took over on top: rookie and reigning Moto3 Champion Jaume Masia (Pertamina Mandalika GAS UP Team). Bendsneyder finished in second to make it a Pertamina Mandalika GAS UP Team one-two in the wet, as Artigas claimed P3.
Moto2 Combined Friday Practice TimesAfter Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) topped the very first session of the season, that new Free Practice for Moto3, the first Q2-timed session for the class saw Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) come out on top with a new lap record: a mighty 2’03.606.
As the Pirelli era begins, it remains close as ever. In second comes Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) who was 0.063s adrift, with Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) only a further 0.106s behind to round out the top three. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) takes fourth ahead of Ortola, with Riccardo Rossi (CIP Green Power) sixth ahead of David Alonso (CFMOTO Aspar Team) and Stefano Nepa (LEVELUP – MTA).
Daniel Holgado“This new bike is incredible, and I am very happy with the feeling. We started really strong today, I was fast and felt good on both bike and track. Tomorrow is an important day as we will go through the first qualifying shootout of the year, and it is key for us to start from the front row. That’s our goal. Ready for another day, and thanks to my team!”
Daniel HolgadoJacob Roulstone“I am super happy with our first day. In the first session, we focused on adapting to the track, we had a good thinking and a good learning, and then when we returned on track in the evening, we felt really confident and we could string a good lap together. It is a shame that we got interrupted by the rain, but overall, super positive day, and I can not wait for tomorrow!”
