Race Lap Record: 1:54.927, Jorge Lorenzo, 2016

Previous All Time Lap Record: 1:53.680, Johann Zarco, 2018

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Losail International Circuit, Qatar

March 8, 2019

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:53.380 (New All Time Lap Record)

2. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:53.854

3. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:53.908

4. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.053

5. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.154

6. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.256

7. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.275, crash

8. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.320

9. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:54.367

10. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.402

11. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:54.428

12. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.444

13. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:54.452

14. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.801

15. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.032

16. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:55.053

17. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:55.137

18. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:55.412

19. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:55.432

20. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.635

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:55.654

22. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:56.437

23. Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:56.834

More, from  a press release issued by Dorna:

Fierce competition and fastest laps: the stage is set in the desert

Some mysteries solved and new questions raised in a tantalising first day – but it’s Marquez who draws first

Friday, 08 March 2019

After a long winter break, we look upon testing as the first answers to the questions raised by rider moves, current form and potential that begins to brim in the final races of the season before. But really, it’s more a teaser that whets our appetite ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season and even then, it’s when the lights go out for racing that we really get some answers. So Day 1 in the desert kept us guessing in tantalising style with records broken, mysteries solved and ups and downs for many on the grid – a perfect storm of unpredictability and fierce competition for the VisitQatar Grand Prix.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was undoubtedly the headliner of Act 1, however. The now seven-time World Champion’s new lap record – nearly half a second clear at the top – laid down an early benchmark that puts him squarely in the driving seat but it’s not one-lap pace that’s been in doubt for the Spaniard. Coming back from surgery to his shoulder, longevity and consistency is the question on everyone’s lips. And behind Marquez’ eyebrow-raiser of a 1’53.380, the riders were packed together down the timesheets.

The first of those was Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). After a more difficult season at times in 2018, consistency is also a key word for him and the Iwata marque so topping testing and showing some solid pace on Day 1 is a good start. He did have some close company in the form of Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) though – top Independent Team rider on Friday and fastest Ducati – as the Australian ended Friday just 0.054 off the Spaniard.

Next up behind Miller was another Ducati: Mission Winnow Ducati Team newcomer Danilo Petrucci, who was the top Borgo Panigale factory team rider once again – as he was in testing. Teammate and 2018 Qatar winner Andrea Dovizioso was in P6 but not far off, however, and therein came the seemingly solved mystery: the switch seen on the Ducati in testing was spotted in action on Day 1 and it appeared to fit with the rumour mill theory of a holeshot device for race starts. Will we see more on Saturday?

Splitting the two Italian factory machines was another impressive performance from Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). The French rookie was the fastest newcomer to the class once again, and threatened the top just like in testing. So that seems one question answered: yes, he can do it again. And his teammate, Franco Morbidelli, had a solid showing on Day 1 too – slotting it just behind ‘DesmoDovi’, pushed down to P7 by just 0.019 despite a crash.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins, another superstar in testing, was eighth quickest on Friday by another tiny gap of less than half a tenth, just ahead of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro. Espargaro, who was well within the top ten at the Qatar Test too, was another answer revealed on Day 1 – it’s a feat that can be repeated during the race weekend. Rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the top ten after shooting first in the time attack at the end of FP2, only a tenth off teammate Rins and briefly top before times tumbled.

So who’s missing in the provisional top ten of Q2 qualifiers? First is the still-recovering Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team), near the top in the morning, who just got relegated to 11th by Rins’ final fast lap at the end of FP2. And Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), the fastest man in the first session just ahead of Lorenzo, ended the day in 17th overall and was just 0.005 ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro so the two will be pushing to move forward in FP3. Will Rossi deal a faster hand when we head back out on track for more? Will the conditions allow those outside the top ten to improve? Or can those between the ‘Doctor’ and old nemesis Lorenzo – Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing) and Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) – set us up for a Q1-shootout to remember?

Winning margins used to be minutes, then they became seconds, tenths, hundredths…now it’s thousandths that separate the laptimes for one of the strongest grids ever seen. Day 1 set the stage for a stunning Saturday at Losail International Circuit, so make sure to tune in for qualifying from 20:00 (GMT +3) local time.

Baldassarri beats Schrötter to the top

Italian comes out the blocks quickest but it’s tight behind him on the timesheets

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) led the way in an exceptionally tight Moto2™ field on Day 1 of the VisitQatar Grand Prix, with just three quarters of a second separating the top fifteen. The Italian was second in the race last season but of the competitors still in the class, he was the highest finisher – a benchmark in itself, adding to the new lap record set on Friday. At the top he had a little breathing space, however, with an advantage of a quarter of a second over FP1’s fastest man Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP). Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) locked out the top three, only 0.030 in further arrears as the Australian signalled the start of the infinitesimal gaps from there on out.

Fourth place went to Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) as he converted impressive race pace in testing to a solid time attack too, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing the top five. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) took P6 and showed more impressive speed for rider and manufacturer, ahead of a leap up the timesheets from Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team). Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was the fastest KTM and made sure the Austrian factory were represented in the top ten, 0.005 off Locatelli, with Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) taking P9.

The top ten was completed by rookie Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) as the Italian took the honour of fastest debutant on Friday. He was hundredths in front of Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40), with NTS RW Racing GP’s Bo Bendsneyder in P12 as the Dutchman continued his top form in 2019. Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP), returning from the premier class, was 13th despite a crash near the end of the day but remains a provisional Q2 graduate. This weekend the new qualifying format comes in and it’s the fastest 14 after FP3 who’ll go through automatically – so it’s reigning Moto3™ World Champion and Moto2™ rookie Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) currently on course to be the final rider to graduate.

American Racing KTM’s Iker Lecuona crashed in FP1 and was declared fit, returning to the track after a check up to rejoin the action in FP2. Now it’s FP3 time and the final practice session starts at 14:20 (GMT +3) local time on Saturday – tune in to see if there’ll be a shake up before qualifying.

New horizons: the Moto2™ grid enter the Triumph-powered era. Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta (L) and Triumph Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent with the bikes at Losail

Canet topples Fenati on Friday

Spaniard goes quickest in FP2 despite the Italian’s ominous form in both testing and FP1

Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) blitzed the Moto3™ field by the end of Day 1 at the VisitQatar Grand Prix; the only rider to go below the 2:05 barrier and an impressive 0.595 clear of FP1’s fastest man, the returning Romano Fenati (Snipers Team). It was close competition to complete the top three, however, as 2016 Qatar GP winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was third quickest but only 0.084 off Fenati despite a crash.

It was a record-breaking FP2 session as Canet’s time was well under the old lap record to throw down the gauntlet, and more than half a second in hand on Friday makes for good reading as the new qualifying format for the lightweight class begins this weekend. For the first time, entry to Q2 will be decided by the combined standings at the end of FP3 and the fourteen fastest earn automatic graduation.

Behind the top three it got seriously close, however, so competition will be tight. Less than four tenths separate fourth place Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) to 16th place John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing). Behind Migno, Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), less than a week after fracturing his collarbone in testing, finished Day 1 in Qatar in an incredible fifth place. He led Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) by 0.090, with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) just a further 0.005 in arrears.

Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team) cemented eighth on his final run with a 2:05.480, ahead of Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) and Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team) in ninth and tenth respectively. Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia), Reale Avintia Arizona 77’s Vicente Perez, Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Can Öncü and Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) are currently set to join them in Q2 – but there’s time yet for that to change in FP3. That begins at 13:25 (GMT +3) on Saturday.

More, from a press release issued by Mission Winnow Ducati:

The 2019 MotoGP World Championship has officially begun: the Mission Winnow Ducati team concludes the opening free-practice sessions in Qatar with Petrucci 4th and Dovizioso 6th

The Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action today in Qatar at the Losail track, home of the opening round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, for the first free-practice sessions of the season. Both Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso confirmed the competitiveness shown only a few days ago while testing on the track located on the outskirts of Doha, finishing in fourth and sixth position respectively in the combined time sheets.

Fifth at the end of FP1, Petrucci took more than a second off his best lap time in FP2 – held at the same time scheduled for the race – to post a personal best in 1:54.053. Similarly to his teammate, Dovizioso improved by a second in FP2 to finish 0.203 behind his teammate in 1:54.256.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:54.053 (4th)

“Today we worked on the details to prepare the race, and I’m quite happy with the feeling with the bike. Honestly, we could have been a bit faster on the flying lap towards the end of FP2, but I ran into some traffic and I couldn’t be as precise as I would have liked. We’re still not at our 100 percent: our rivals are pretty fast, so tomorrow we’ll try to finalize the work done up to this point to make sure we start at the front and maintain a fast and consistent pace throughout the whole race.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:54.256 (6th)

“I’m very happy because we managed to put together all the feedback gathered during the tests and come back to our usual levels of competitiveness. Track conditions were quite good today, as shown by the overall fast lap times, but the situation could still change come race time. At any rate, we’re up there with our rivals and ready to put up a fight. That said, we still have room for improvement under some aspects. We need to analyze the data to optimize our strategy, especially in terms of tyre performance.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action tomorrow at 15:15 local time (CET +2) for FP3, while qualifying will take place from 20:00 to 20:40 local time.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

POSITIVE OPENING TO 2019 SEASON FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR

Alex Rins: 8th – 1:54.320 (+ 0.940)

Joan Mir: 10th – 1:54.402 (+ 1.022)

• Alex Rins working on improving feeling.

•Joan Mir impresses, especially in FP2.

•Both riders in the Top 10 heading into Day 2.

The 2019 season well and truly got under way at Losail International Circuit in Qatar with Friday’s FP1 and FP2 sessions.

When the riders took to the track in the early afternoon for FP1 it was still daylight, with air and track temperatures of 28°c and 37°c respectively. Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders put in solid work in the incredibly close session which saw the top seventeen riders covered by just eight tenths of a second. Rins ended up 9th and Mir 14th, but both showed good pace.

FP2 got underway at 8pm local time after a short delay, this is the same time that the race is scheduled to be held on Sunday. With the floodlights on and the riders all keen to set quick laps, Alex Rins made his intentions clear by going top. Later in the session Joan Mir put in a sensational lap to hit the number one spot. The pair worked well to ensure Top 10 finishes at the end of the session, with 8th and 10th respectively. This could prove to be crucial for direct passage to Q2 depending on what happens during FP3.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“We’ve started the first race weekend of the season and it’s a little bit of a mixed feeling. The positives were that both riders are in the Top 10, which was our first target, let’s say. Alex isn’t feeling fully comfortable with the bike so we need to analyse things tonight and use his feedback to see what we can improve for tomorrow. Joan had a very good start and was able to stay in the Top 10, so from this point of view it’s been a very good Friday. Alex needs to feel more comfortable with his feeling, and Joan can continue to learn and improve.”

Alex Rins

“I expected to finish a bit higher up today. This morning in the daylight, in the sunshine, I struggled with grip and the bike was sliding a bit. I hoped in the night-time conditions I would find a better feeling with the set-up, especially as FP2 was the same time as the race will be. But I still didn’t feel very comfortable, so we need to check the data with the engineers tonight to try and improve. My lap time was not so bad, but I just don’t have enough confidence yet. The first step tomorrow is to solve the problems, and then hope for Q2.”

Joan Mir

“I’ve enjoyed myself a lot today, I felt a bit nervous to get back on track but it was a really positive day for us. We’ve made another step forward and I’m feeling much more comfortable and I’m happy about how I’m able to ride the bike. We have a bit of margin to improve upon, but we just want to keep working in this direction and see if I can go directly to Q2 tomorrow. It’s important to prepare for the race, too. For this first race I’d be really happy with a Top 10 finish, but it won’t be easy! There’s no pressure because it’s only the first day of the first round.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP PREPARE FOR SEASON OPENING FIGHT IN QATAR

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi have kicked off their 2019 racing campaign today at the Losail International Circuit. They finished in 2nd and 16th place respectively in the combined session times.

2nd

MAVERICK VIÑALES

1’53.854 (FP2) / 16 LAPS

16th

VALENTINO ROSSI

1’55.048 (FP1) / 16 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were keen to get down to business today during the first two free practice sessions of the VisitQatar Grand Prix. They continued to develop the set-ups they had determined during the Qatar Test a fortnight ago and started the work on making a tyre decision for Sunday’s race. The riders finished the day in 2nd and 16th place respectively in the combined results.

Viñales showed a consistent pace early on in FP1 and continued to work systematically on his bike’s set-up throughout the session. The end results were very tight, with 16 riders finishing within 0.9s from the fastest time, but the Spaniard focused mainly on cornering. He booked progress throughout the session, making the last lap his fastest thus far. He finished in sixth place with a 1’55.312s lap, 0.264s from the front.

Similar to last year, the pace increased in the evening as the temperatures dropped, so the Spaniard knew he had to put his head down in the second free practice session. He soon took third in the rankings and showed a solid rhythm. At the end of the session, he rode a lap under the 1’54-mark, a 1’53.854s, earning him second place, 0.474s from first.

Rossi put his name forward as one of the top contenders in FP1. He tried a new set-up for his bike in the bright sunshine, resulting in him taking the honours of P1 right at the end of the 45-minute session. His superb 1’55.048s, put him on the top of the timesheets, 0.079s ahead of his closest rival.

The Doctor used the same settings in FP2. However, he wasn’t able to improve on his best time from the earlier session. He wrapped up the evening in 17th place with a best time of 1’55.137s, 1.757s from first. He holds 16th place in the combined results, 1.668s from the top, thanks to his FP1 time.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“We started FP1 where we finished the Qatar Test, with a good base set-up. Maverick was able to improve his setting from FP1 to FP2 and he‘s very comfortable on the bike, even though we still have some room for improvement on the exit of turn 16. Valentino, on the other hand, tried a different setting at the end of FP1 that gave him the possibility to improve, but most likely due to the different temperature of the tarmac in FP2, this didn‘t work well and it affected his time-attack. Tomorrow in FP3 the aim is to get through to Q2, even though we know it will be difficult because of the track conditions in the warm afternoon. Another important aspect is to make a definite decision on the tyre choice for the race, as we‘re currently 80% certain.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“It was really important to be inside the top-10 today, because the lap times were really fast. I was planning to do two time-attacks, but in the end I only had time to do one. I’m actually really happy about how the bike is working. We still have to improve, we are losing a lot on top-speed, but the bike is getting really great in the corners, so I’m very excited to work even harder tomorrow. We’re going to try to make the last corner better, especially in terms of acceleration. We need to improve in that area, let’s see if we can do it tomorrow. We now know the potential of our bike and we need to keep working hard.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“It was a strange day because, maybe we aren’t as good as this afternoon, but for sure we are not as bad as this evening. This evening, sincerely, we didn’t modify the bike very much, but I had a lot of problems with the front tyres because we got out of balance and I suffered very much. I was slow. At the end, the track had a lot grip, so a lot of the top guys improved, and the best lap time is a new record, so they were very fast, but unfortunately it was a difficult practice for me. The big problem is that I’m out of Q2 at the moment. Tomorrow in FP3 maybe the conditions will make it hard to improve my best lap time, so it will be difficult to enter directly into Q2. We have to find a way to be faster.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez leads Friday practice with record pace, adapting Lorenzo 11th

A blistering 1’53.380 lap from Marquez saw the reigning MotoGP™ World Champion quickest as new team-mate Lorenzo continued to improve his feeling with the Honda.

Friday in Qatar marked not only the beginning of the Qatar Grand Prix, but also the eagerly awaited return of the MotoGP™ World Championship after a long winter. With Free Practice 1 taking place during the day and Free Practice 2 running at night, the latter offered conditions most similar to Sunday’s race with 21ºC track and air temperature.

The opening day of practice for the 2019 MotoGP™ World Championship saw Marc Marquez fast from his first lap. Concluding Free Practice 1 in third, he and his Honda RC213V produced a stunning 1’53.380 under the lights of Free Practice 2 – three tenths faster than the previous all time lap record.

Jorge Lorenzo’s positive feeling with the Repsol Honda Team RC213V from the Qatar Test continued in Free Practice 1 as the five-time world champion ended the session in second. His 1’55.127 would improve to a 1’54.428 in Free Practice 2 as night fell on the Losail International Circuit.

The pair will join the rest of the MotoGP™ grid in Free Practice 3 at 15:15 local time tomorrow, Saturday March 9 before Qualifying begins at 20:00 local time.

Marc Marquez

1ST 1’53.380

“It was a really positive day! I was focusing a lot to go directly to QP2 and yes, the lap was fast but the most important thing is our rhythm. We still need to work a little bit on this but we’re finding our way and happy with how today ended. Normally we struggle a lot at this circuit but we are there more or less. It’s free practice, Sunday is still the most important part of the weekend.”

Jorge Lorenzo

11TH 1’54.428

“I am very happy today, very confident and comfortable with the bike. We have a lot of potential and working well and I believe we can arrive there. It’s a good sign, as was the ‘morning’, we were very fast but still need to understand the bike a bit more in colder conditions. I have the feeling we can be very competitive with the right setting.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Brilliant performance from PETRONAS Yamaha SRT pair on opening night in Qatar

Fabio Quartararo makes official MotoGP debut with fifth fastest time, Morbidelli finishes seventh despite FP2 spill.

MORBIDELLI

+0.895

alt_text5th

FABIO

QUARTARARO

+0.744

The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT riders produced standout performances on the opening night of the 2019 season at the Losail International Circuit, with Fabio Quartararo finishing fifth fastest in free practice and his teammate Franco Morbidelli overcoming a crash to take seventh. As both riders backed up their good form at the test last week and booked provisional places in tomorrow night’s Q2.

Morbidelli set a best lap of 1’55.324 in the first free practice session of the weekend. The Italian kicking off his second season in the premier class in style on the new YZR-M1 as he established himself amongst the lead riders in seventh place. Meanwhile, Quartararo’s rookie campaign started in a creditable eleventh place in FP1, just four tenths off the top in a time of 1’55.509.

The positive early signs continued in the second session as both Quartararo (1’54.154) and Morbidelli (1’54.275) improved their FP1 best, by 1.4 seconds and 0.9 seconds respectively. Morbidelli escaped unhurt from a crash in turn 1 with twenty minutes remaining and returned to the track to post his best lap of the night.

After a fantastic opening night, work continues for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT at the Qatar Grand Prix tomorrow, with two further free practice sessions and qualifying sessions – at 20:00h and 20:25h local time – to decide the first starting grid of the season.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“I felt comfortable over the first few laps tonight and my race rhythm was decent. We’ll have to have a look at what everybody else’s was like but I was happy with mine. We still have plenty of room for improvement so that’s what we have to do. The important thing for tomorrow is to understand the situation and figure out the right way to go with the bike to close the gap to the fastest guys. As for the crash, I was trying to understand a new aspect of the setting that we were trying and it was my first lap, so I think I just went too hard into turn one on used tyres and ended up crashing. Maybe the tyre wasn’t quite ready for me to push so hard, so basically it was my own fault. After the crash we were able to rediscover the feeling very easily and I was able to go fast with the new setting on the second bike. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do many laps on it and we would have liked to have done more on used tyres, which was the plan. Despite that, we were able to get a few laps in so we do at least have some information to work from.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“We have managed to maintain a good pace and in particular a fast lap time. I didn’t feel so good on the first tyre but I did have a full tank at that point. After that we tried another tyre and I actually made a few mistakes on my fast lap so it was a surprise to see that I had managed a 54.1, which means I could even have managed a high 53 or an even lower 54. I am really happy with the pace we have set tonight and the job the team has done. We need to stay calm and keep working in the same way. I have felt good so far in the two free practice sessions. In FP3 tomorrow we will have to take the heat into account and then in FP4 focus on our race pace. Then we’ll see what happens in qualifying.”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

#QatarGP FP – Splendid start for Jack, 3rd after first day of activity at Losail. Positive feelings for Pecco.

Alma Pramac Racing’s 2019 MotoGP season begins in a great way thanks to Jack Miller, who finished third on the first day of activity at the Losail circuit in Doha (Qatar). Good feelings also for Francesco Bagnaia who lapped with a good pace but didn’t manage to exploit the time attack (14th lap-time).

In FP1 Jack is constantly in Top 10 (8th chrono) and in the first part of FP2 concludes a long run of 11 laps with a very good race pace. In the time attack, the Australian rider pushes hard and set a great lap-time (1’53.908) only 54 thousandths of a second from Vinales.

In FP1 Pecco works on race pace and in FP2 he immediately enters the track to try the time attack but he finds some traffic and can’t be incisive. The Italian finished his first day of free practice in MotoGP in P14 (4 tenths off the Top 10) and will have to fight tomorrow in FP3 to take the first Q2 of his career.

P14 – Pecco Bagnaia 1’54.801

“I didn’t expect a first day with such fast lap-times. We improved lap by lap just thinking about doing our job. We still need something but we have made a good step forward. We can improve on the time attack but there’s no hurry. The pace is good and that is the important thing”.

P3 – Jack Miller 1’53.908

“The sensations are positive. In FP1 we have worked a lot with used tyres and we have had important indications. Also in FP2 we did a positive long run, then with the soft tyre I managed to set a good time that could be important for the direct qualification to Q2.”.

More, form a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

READY, SET, GO AND ALEIX SHINES STRAIGHT AWAY IN THE QATAR NIGHT

ANDREA SAVES A TYRE AND FOCUSES MORE ON THE RACE

BRADLEY SMITH TESTS VARIOUS ELECTRONICS COMPONENT SOLUTIONS

Aleix Espargaró was fast straight away on the first day of practice in Qatar where the first race of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship will be held on Sunday. Number 41 rode his Aprilia RS-GP into a top-ten spot. The good job done in the tests two weeks ago gave Aleix confidence in the saddle from the start, immediately fast and doing his best in the evening FP2 session. When he tried to push, he turned a series of rather fast laps, several times dropping below 1’55 and finishing with a best time of 1’54.367, which earned him ninth place on the time sheets in anticipation of FP3 which, however, will be held tomorrow and therefore in predictably slower conditions.

Andrea Iannone took a different route, not putting on the second soft tyre for a time attack, thereby saving it for the decisive session tomorrow. Andrea, on the other hand, continued working on trying to find the best race setup. In the end, he finished 19th with a time of 1’55.432 but satisfied with the work done.

The third Aprilia (a first in MotoGP for the Noale-based manufacturer) was ridden by Bradley Smith who, with the test team, focused on testing both electronics setups and various chassis architecture solutions. The Brit finished 23rd with a time of 1’56.834.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“I am satisfied. Evidently, we did the right thing in the last tests when we tried a lot of things and worked in view of the race and, although we didn’t do the times, the feeling was good, so we arrived here and the bike was fast from the start. When I pushed, I did two laps under the ’55 mark. I’m also pleased with the speed. On the straights the bike is strong and now I would like to gain more in acceleration and manage the power well over race distance. We have a good base to work from for the race”.

ANDREA IANNONE

“It didn’t go badly, considering the fact that I didn’t use two soft tyres for the time attack like my rivals did, but only one. With these temperatures, the medium tyre is not the one that performs best. We saw that during the tests too. I could be a gamble, but I have a habit of always working in view of the race. Clearly, in these conditions it becomes difficult in FP3 tomorrow to improve on the times we did today, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try. We also worked to improve turning and we found a few changes that help, but it costs us a bit of grip. Tomorrow we’ll put the various solutions together to take full advantage of the package”.

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

First day at school for Oliveira and Syahrin

With the first Free Practice in the Qatari sunshine and FP2 under the impressive floodlight of the Losail International Circuit, the MotoGP class initiated a new season today, which marks the official beginning of the mostly fresh formed Red Bull KTM Tech3 team.

Premier class rookie Miguel Oliveira showed some promising potential on his first day aboard the KTM RC16 finishing inside the top 20 after improving by 0.426 seconds from the first to the second session. Malaysian star Hafizh Syahrin meanwhile lowered his lap time from FP1 to FP2 by 0.744 seconds and can’t wait to be back on track for the third Free Practice session tomorrow at 15.15 local time (13.15 CET). Yet, the all-important first Qualifying of the year is set to commence at 20.00 local time (18.00 CET).

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 20th

Time: 1:55.635

Laps: 34

“Today was quite tricky at the end. We knew that FP2 was going to be important and everyone was pushing to get a fast lap but finally, we couldn’t take out the full profit of the tyre we had. We are trying to understand what we can improve on the bike to gain more drive out of the corners, which seems to be the thing, that is holding us back more. But I trust that tomorrow we still can do a good FP3 and maybe be a little bit more in front. For sure, we are far from Q2, but we are going to try the maximum to be closer.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:56.437

Laps: 29

“This first day was a bit difficult for me. This morning I lost the front on the second lap and I couldn’t understand why this happened. I tried to come back step by step and finally FP2 was a lot better. But for me it is really not easy to stop the bike in the middle of the corner, so overall the turning is my weak point at the moment. Anyway, together with the team we will work harder, trying to understand everything and always look forward to improve.”