2021 MotoGP Round Five Le Mans Friday

---

Johann Zarco – P1

“I am very satisfied. To have been able to ride on a dry track in FP2 has been extremely important, given the unpredictable weather that we are experiencing. I was having a good time and the feeling I had was perfect in FP1. Later in FP2 it improved even more.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“This morning I was feeling good, but I wasn’t able to set a good time, so later today we will need to see what we can improve. Wet conditions are not my strong point, and I need to improve it. Still, the feeling was great, but we need to improve in a few corners to be inside the top 10 in the wet. In FP2, I could have done a better time, but there was a yellow flag on my fast lap. But I’m feeling happy about the fastest time I set today. The arm feels slightly different, but it feels great. I lost the front at one point. I thought I could save it, but I lost it anyway. We saw many riders crash on cold tyres. We all crashed for the same reason, I think. The conditions are tricky and it’s tough to get heat into the tyres. Especially coming out of pit lane, we stay on 60 km/h for too long. We need to see if it can be done slightly different.”

Maverick Vinales – P3

“Today has been positive. We found many good things on the bike in this morning’s wet session. Actually, it wasn’t fully wet, there were some dry parts. You have to go fast in those mixed conditions, which isn’t easy because the tyre tends to overheat too much and then you slide a lot. But, anyway, in FP2 I felt good straight away, and we have a good rhythm. In the first run I was just trying not to make too many mistakes and set some good laps in case it rains tomorrow morning, and then we started to push. Overall, I feel that we have a good opportunity here. We need to try to understand how we can improve on track a bit more, and then we’ll see. But I think this could be a really good weekend for us.”

Pol Espargaro – P4

“It has been a complete day with a wet session and a dry session, my first time riding the Honda in the wet. I was able to finish fourth in both sessions which is positive and the work we did in Jerez has paid off here when we went back out in the dry in the afternoon. Many of the problems we have had at earlier races we did not have, and we have improved our performance on corner entry a lot. But I am keeping calm, it was just one day with two practice sessions and tomorrow is more important. Let’s see what happens and what the weather will do.”

Franco Morbidelli – P5

“It was important today, especially in the dry conditions this afternoon, to do a good lap time and be inside the top-ten. We actually saw that FP2 was more like a long qualifying, than a normal Free Practice session. I’m happy that we were able to be fast and put ourselves fifth, directly through to Q2 potentially. We were not able to take the time to properly understand things with the bike this afternoon, like the feeling, as we were forced to go for the lap time. Tomorrow we will try to look at this more and attempt to look at some things on the bike, so see if we can improve the feedback and feeling. Overall today was a positive day though and I’m happy.”

Jack Miller – P7

“I’m satisfied to be in the top ten. The track conditions today were quite tricky with the low temperatures, the rain and the wind. But it is normal here in Le Mans, and, luckily, we had at least one dry session this afternoon. Unfortunately, I crashed out in FP2, but I was pushing really hard and lost the front! Still, it wasn’t a bad day; we’ve learned a lot today, and I’m happy to be here at Le Mans, a track that I like a lot and where I always have a lot of fun riding on!”

Marc Marquez – P8

“We have had a standard day today, in the wet I feel better because it’s less demanding physically. In the dry we tried a few things on the bike but we are still working to improve our feeling and understand what is the bike and what is due to my physical condition. But I when I came into the box and saw eighth on the timing, it showed we are improving. Today was not about taking risks with the tricky conditions, we can take risks in qualifying and the race but for now it’s about being inside the limit.”

Valentino Rossi – P9

“Today was better than the previous GPs and we had a positive feeling with the bike. We were lucky because we needed a dry practice to understand if what we improved in the Jerez test also works here. This morning in the wet I was quite fast, but this afternoon I felt better with the bike and was able to ride better as well: I had a decent pace, I was more precise and also more consistent. It is only Friday but being inside the top-ten was important today. We need to work on some things, but it is just normal weekend work and it looks like I can be stronger here this weekend. The settings and the balance are better now, plus the Yamaha is normally good at Le Mans, so this is important.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P10

“Today was really, really difficult conditions in FP1 and in FP2 we were lucky to have dry conditions, but it was still quite tricky. It was very cold conditions and the track temperature was a bit too low and on the left side it was really difficult on the bike. I saw during the practice many yellow flags and at the end we had a chance to improve the lap time, but we were unlucky to see the yellow flag many laps in a row, so we lost the chance to improve. Anyway, P10 is really good and I’m happy to be in the top 10 today. Let’s see what the weather forecast brings tomorrow, if it rains, we need to improve the wet feeling. But I’m happy with today and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Alex Rins – P11

“It was a good Friday for us despite being knocked out of the Top 10. For sure tomorrow I will have to fight in Q1 because we’re expecting a lot of rain tonight, so I think FP3 will be wet. But anyway, I was feeling quite good in the mixed conditions and also in the dry; the grip was good, I felt strong on used tyres and I was pretty consistent. I had a crash at Turn 3 when I lost the front, so I dropped to 11th place. But let’s see what I can do tomorrow, it won’t be easy but I’m ready to give my all.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P12

“Despite the crash this afternoon, today’s two sessions were very productive, and my feeling with the bike is positive. This morning in FP1, I was able to feel really comfortable with the Desmosedici despite the wet conditions, and this afternoon, we were also able to get a good time on the medium tyre. We’re outside of the top ten, but if the weather conditions allow us, we’ll definitely try to improve and get directly into Q2. I’m confident ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying”.

Joan Mir – P13

“It wasn’t a bad day, although it was quite unpredictable, but we still have work to do in dry conditions. My feeling overall is not the best, so there’s margin to improve, but I don’t feel too bad – especially in the wet. At the moment we are out of the Top 10 due to the crash I had at the end of FP2 when I lost the front while pushing. We need to work overnight but I think we can do a good job tomorrow and we’ll try to solve everything and become a bit more competitive in dry conditions.”

Aleix Espargaro – P14

“A complicated day. I felt good straight away, fast in the wet too, and I was confident at the start of FP2. However, the asphalt conditions were less than ideal. They demanded a bit of caution and I crashed. I went back out on the second bike, which I don’t prefer, but still finding the feeling to be able to push. Unfortunately, the front tyre wasn’t up to temperature and on turn 3 I crashed again. I got the bike back to the garage as quickly as I could and the guys did an incredible job getting me back out onto the track where I only missed the top 10 by about two tenths of a second. Considering what happened, it still shows that we are competitive on this track as well and in these conditions. It will definitely not be a relaxing Saturday for me!”

Iker Lecuona – P15

“I’m quite happy about today. I’m not in the top positions, but finally in the wet conditions, I could work with the soft tyre this morning. I felt strong and lap by lap I understood the tyres better and better, which is important for me. Overall, I was quite satisfied this morning.”  Also, this afternoon I was working alone, didn’t follow anybody, but still felt really good. I improved a lot, we changed something with the base of the bike. The team worked very well, I feel confident with the RC16. Eventually, we finished in P15, so we are optimistic for tomorrow.”

Álex Márquez – P17

“First day here in Le Mans, the morning was wet and it wasn’t bad. I picked up the feeling in wet conditions again, it’s been a long time since I was on wets on the bike and I felt really good from the beginning. I was able to put on the slick, but made a small mistake. But from the afternoon we need to improve the rhythm, we need to find a way to have a better riding style and get a better feeling. We need to keep trying things and find the best way to ride the bike. I need to catch again that feeling I had last year when I finished at a good level.”

Tito Rabat – P18

“I am satisfied because the feeling is improving and the feeling with the bike is great. I still need to work in order to improve but I am happy with today’s work.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P20

“An overall positive day, although peculiar. This morning, in the wet, I was able to be fast. In those conditions, the small details count a bit less, so even with less experience, you can narrow the gap. FP2 was a sort of qualifying session. With the track dry, a lot of riders pushed hard on the soft tyre, given how extremely variable the weather is. I used the first part of the session to increase my confidence on a track where I haven’t ridden for about 10 years. Then, in the finale with the new tyre, I made a mistake that unfortunately cost me more than half a second. We’ll keep working. There are stages where I’d like to improve the setup, especially in terms of cornering.”

Danilo Petrucci – P22

“It has been a very tough day. We tried something very different after what we learned during the test in Jerez, but finally, it didn’t work the way we wanted to. We’re not having an easy time. For me, it’s really tricky to stop the bike at the moment. I thought it was our strong point, but at the moment, it’s hard. For sure, we need to change the setup for tomorrow. We are quite far off and it was difficult for me to be consistent and to do a decent lap time throughout today. Hopefully the weather will be better on Saturday and obviously, I’ll try to go faster.”

---

Friday MotoGP Report

After Day 1 at Le Mans, it’s the home heroes on top! Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) topped the SHARK Grand Prix de France timesheets on Friday with some close company from compatriot Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), and the two Frenchmen were split by just 0.095. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) made it two Iwata marque machines in the top three, 0.389 back, with Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) denied the honour by just 0.001.

FP1 started wet but ended dry, ish, at least for Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Aussie put in slicks and pulled out a whopping 1.481 seconds on the rest of the field by the flag, with Zarco leading the resistance in second ahead of reigning MotoGP World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Mir was the first to stop in the damp session, however, as he suffered a technical problem at Turn 8. Two more riders crashed towards the end, first Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and then Viñales, riders ok.

By FP2, a few hours of mostly dry skies and no real extra rain saw the track start out dry and remain so. With the forecast looking decidedly damp for Saturday morning, it was even more important to get a provisional place in Q2 on Friday and predictably, that created a flurry of afternoon action as everyone rushed to set a lap and then better it.

Home hero Quartararo was untouchable in the opening stages, however. Everyone was slamming in lap after lap on soft or medium rears but after 15 minutes, Quartararo’s 1:32.120 was 0.591s better than second place Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The notorious Turn 3 caught out Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in the first 15 minutes too, both riders ok, before Espargaro – on his second bike – then slid into the gravel at Turn 3 again.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), ninth in the early stages, then had an off-track excursion at Turn 8. It was clear the riders were pushing as Turn 3 then saw Quartararo slide into the gravel too, rider also ok, before Jack Miller – just after going P6 – tucked the front of his GP21 at Turn 7 as well.

With just over 10 minutes to go, Quartararo was still leading the way by over half a second from Nakagami, with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins in P3. Viñales made a move though, the Spaniard up to P2 and cutting his teammate’s advantage to 0.428s. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) then shot into P3, before Pol Espargaro took over in second to slash Quartararo’s lead to just 0.017s. Miller wasn’t fazed by his crash and got back nearer the front into fourth, and as Turn 3 claimed its latest victim in Rins – rider ok – Marc Marquez improved to move from outside the top 10 into sixth. That shoved Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) outside the provisional Q2 places, soon to be confirmed alongside Joan Mir as the reigning Champion crashed at Turn 8 whilst in P12, his FP2 efforts over.

Meanwhile Quartararo rode on at the top, bouncing back quickly to set the first 1:31 of the weekend and lay down the gauntlet. Would he be beaten? Zarco soon made it a French 1-2 as he homed in and cut the gap, before the number 5 then pounced past Quartararo by just 0.095s to take over at the top and seal the deal.

That makes it a dream start to the weekend for French fans as Zarco leads Quartararo, with Viñales bagging a healthy P3 on Day 1. Pol Espargaro had a great afternoon at the office to pick up fourth and only a thousandth off the top three, with Franco Morbidelli completing the top five as the Petronas Yamaha SRT man continues to pull it out the bag.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the quickest KTM on Day 1, the Portuguese rider impressing once again to take sixth after a solid day’s work. Miller salvaged an important P7 after his tumble, just ahead of Marc Marquez in eighth.

Ninth position, meanwhile, sees the return of nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) to the Friday top ten. Just 0.037 off Marquez, the Doctor currently stands to move through and will be joined by the man in tenth: Nakagami.

So who’s missing? More key names than can make it through should FP3 turn wet. Championship leader Bagnaia is down in P12, just behind Rins and just ahead of Mir. There are only two more places available in Q2, so there will likely be a few prayers from that trio hoping it doesn’t rain on Saturday morning.

---

MotoGP Combined Times

---

Moto2

Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) is once again the man to beat on the Moto2 timesheets, but once again it wasn’t by much. On Day 1 of the SHARK Grand Prix de France the Brit led the way by just 0.075 ahead of rookie sensation Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) completing the top three after winning a tight squabble for third.

MotoGP almost managed it in FP1, but Moto2 were very much back on slicks by the conclusion of their first session of the weekend and the laptimes picked up some speed. Aron Canet (Inde Aspar Team) was top of the pile from Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP 40), with Lowes fast in third but just 0.035 in further arrears.

Bezzecchi crashed, rider ok, but Yari Montella’s (MB Conveyors Speed Up) weekend came to an early end as the Italian broke his right wrist in his tumble. Alonso Lopez has been drafted in on replacement duty, the Spaniard fresh from three Moto2 European Championship podiums to start his rookie season on the Boscocuro chassis. How will the Moto3 podium finisher adapt to Moto2 competition with Triumph?

Meanwhile, later in the day and despite the threatening cloud cover, FP2 stayed dry and Lowes took to the top, only a tenth and a half off outright the lap record. Raul Fernandez was less than a tenth off and Augusto Fernandez got promoted to third as Bezzecchi had his best effort scrubbed off, with Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) within half a tenth of the top three.

Fifth went to Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) as the Italian put some more Friday speed on show, with Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) pipping Canet to sixth. Jerez winner Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) took P8 despite a tumble, and the Italian was one of 11 crashers including the likes of Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing), who both suffered rough days at the office down in P28 and P25 respectively. All riders were ok in FP2, although Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP 40) must also be reviewed before FP3.

After getting his best scrubbed for Yellow Flags, Bezzecchi’s next lap puts him in ninth, ahead of Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) completing the top ten. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Manzi, Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) and Garzo currently stand to move through to Q2 if no one can improve on Saturday… and rain is a distinct possibility!

Moto2 Combined Times

---

Moto3

Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) leads the way after Day 1 of the SHARK Grand Prix de France, with the Argentinean once again pulling it out of the bag on Friday. This time around it’s Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) closest on the chase, ahead of key rival Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as the Spaniard completes the top three. Masia’s teammate, Championship leader and rookie Pedro Acosta, finds himself outside of the provisional Q2 graduation zone after a day of mixed conditions in France, and Saturday morning looks like it could well be wet…

That’s how Friday began and a damp but drying FP1 saw John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) take to the top late on, with Acosta in second but half a second back. Nevertheless, that was an impressive feat in his first ever session at Le Mans as he suffered two small crashes in the wetter conditions before recovering to take second. Third went to Gaviota Aspar GAS GAS rider Sergio Garcia.

Crashes were undoubtedly the headline-stealers in the morning. 18 incidents – only one of which was a technical issue, that for Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) – saw the French GP off to a tougher start for many as Friday dawned wet. And it remained wet for the lightweight class, although conditions were drying and markedly improved by the end of FP1.

With no more real rain coming, FP2 stayed fully dry and could end up even more vital than normal as the forecast says they’ll be more rain on Saturday morning. That means Q2 could already be decided, and Acosta is one who doesn’t currently stand to go through. Rodrigo, Binder and Masia let their experience shine to end the day as the fastest trio overall, ahead of Antonelli bouncing back from his technical trouble to take fourth. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) moved showed more good speed in fifth, just ahead of veteran Italians Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team).

Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP), Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completed the top ten on Friday, of which half crashed: Binder, Öncü, Migno, Fenati and the aforementioned number 6 of Yamanaka. The final four heading through as it stands are Jason Dupasquier (CarXpert PrüstelGP), McPhee, Riccardo Rossi (BOE Owlride) and Garcia, with Acosta left down in P18 on Friday. But then, he has already won from pitlane… so can much be read into that? And in the eventuality, could the extra wet track time of Q1 actually help the likes of Acosta and his fellow rookies?

Moto3 Combined Times

---

MotoE

After heartbreak on race day at Jerez for Eric Granado (One Energy Racing), the Brazilian bounced back quickly to top Day 1 of FIM Enel MotoE World Cup action at Le Mans, 0.136 ahead of 2020 Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) and only half a tenth off the very same Torres’ pole lap at the venue last year. Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) completed the top three, just 0.024 off second, to get back in the fight at the front after his bad luck in Round 1.

The day was dry for MotoE as the sessions were timed pretty perfectly for the weather, and in FP1 it was Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) who took to the top to pip Granado by just 0.046. The session was a busy one with the skies seemingly unpredictable this weekend and the field looking to maximise track time, so it was green light on, everyone file out. Tulovic started the day as he would end it, also in third in the morning, and Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) had similar consistency fresh from his first win. The Italian was fourth in the morning and ended the day in fourth overall from his FP2 laptime, 0.019 off Tulovic.

Torres completed the top five in FP1 and moved up to take over in second overall, with Aegerter the key change by the end of the day. The Swiss rider went from quickest out the blocks to fifth overall and will be looking for more on Saturday, although the gap behind the number 77 is bigger than that ahead.

Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) was sixth quickest overall and took the top rookie honours on Friday, two tenths exactly ahead of next debutant Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team). Another fresh face in the form of Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) slotted into eighth, just 0.049 off Pons, with Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) in ninth by a similarly small margin. Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE) completes the top ten, a tiny 0.022 in further arrears.

One key name missing from that list is that of 2019 Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE). The Italian had some technical troubles on Day 1 and was in P13 by the finish line on Friday; another veteran looking to move forward on Saturday.

MotoE Combined Times

---

MotoGP Championship Standings

---

Moto2

Moto2 Championship Top Five

---

Moto3

Moto3 Championship Top Five

---

MotoE

MotoE Top Five

---

Source: MCNews.com.au