Riders reflect on opening day of Sepang Test

Sepang MotoGP Test – Day 1

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“It feels good after almost three months to be back on track. Today was just about getting used to being back on the MotoGP bike. We used last year’s version just to get a few laps in, and we set a really good lap time with the medium tyre at the beginning of the day. We’re hoping for better weather tomorrow so that we can work even more and I’m looking forward to see what my first impressions of the new bike are. I’m really happy with today, it’s always good to start quickest but it’s only the first day of the test – everybody starts with new bikes, it’s not easy for them. The 2019 bike is one I really know from last year, but of course is always better to be P1 than P10 and I can’t wait for tomorrow to start with the new bike.”

Fabio Quartararo

Franco Morbidelli – P2

“I feel good, it was a positive first day for us. We were immediately fast and made the right changes to the bike to get the right feeling. We managed 62 laps, which is a good amount for the first day. Some rain came and this slowed down the working process of the afternoon, but we did a good job in the morning and early part of the afternoon. Tomorrow we will try some other small things that we have on the programme to try but overall I am very happy. We are a little bit faster on the straight, so that is a positive and what we wanted. The behaviour of the bike remains the same though so it is still nice to ride and flowing, but we have a little bit more top speed. I’m happy with the work Yamaha has done and I’m happy with what they are supplying me.”

Franco Morbidelli

Alex Rins – P3

“Today was a really good day! I’m excited and happy to be back on my bike, I really missed it during the winter. Today I spent some time on the fairing area, and I tried some new variations of the package. I found a configuration I liked, so we’ve taken a step forward and I’m happy about that. Tomorrow we’ll work on the electronic area and the chassis. We’re using the same engine as in the tests at the end of last year, and the feeling is still very positive. We’ll continue to work!”

Alex Rins

Cal Crutchlow – P4

“It was a shock to the system to get back out there, but it was a good day to be back on the bike. I was very happy to be back working with the LCR Honda Castrol Team again, and it’s always good to see the boys again after a good winter break where I’ve been preparing well over in California. Now the work starts. We continue to try and improve the RC213V from last year; we had two 2020 models in the garage and one “sort-of-2019” spec machine which was a bit more half and half. We worked our way through the test programme, with a slight delay halfway through the day when we had to work on the bikes, which is completely normal. Unfortunately, when I returned to the track again it was raining and we could only get in another short stint right at the end of the day. Overall, it was nice to get back working with the crew again, but tomorrow will be a longer and tougher day when we’ll learn a lot more about what we’ve got.”

Cal Crutchlow

Jack Miller – P5

“I’m really satisfied with all the training I did during the winter, with the bike I immediately found a good feeling and I left with good sensations. There is certainly some setting and customisation work to be done but the first day there is good indications.”

Jack Miller

Maverick Vinales – P6

“We are working very hard. Honestly, it’s difficult to draw a conclusion already, because it’s only the first day. The feeling has been great, a 1’59s lap here is always really good for me. I had the feeling I expected on the bike. We need to keep going so we can try to understand many things, because we have a lot of things to test, especially tomorrow. On the third day I will concentrate a bit more on myself. On the second day I will be trying many parts, so it will be difficult to get a clear conclusion again. But the first day of training in the heat was good. I’m happy because I felt good on the bike straight away, which is always very positive. I rode fast, I had a good rhythm, and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales

Joan Mir – P9

“One of the things that we worked on today was my bike position, and this was something really important to do because I already feel better and more comfortable when riding, so that’s a positive. I also tried a new chassis and a new swingarm and worked towards confirming the engine. It’s important to find out what works well, and not so well, so we’ll use these days to try and get lots of information.”

Joan Mir

Valentino Rossi – P10

“It was a difficult day, especially because of the conditions. It rained, so we didn‘t finish our programme, but anyway we were able to do a little less than 50 laps. My time over one lap and my position aren‘t fantastic, but we worked well. We have the M1 2020, which is different, so we need to get to know it better. The first feeling is positive, but we have to work because some things are better, and some are worse. But I‘m happy about the first day. You always work on the chassis, the engine, and the electronics. The 2020 bike is a bit different to ride, so we need to get a better understanding. From a certain point of view, we have a margin for improvement, but on the other hand we are already not so bad and the feeling with the bike is quite positive.”

Valentino Rossi

Andrea Dovizioso – P11

“It has been a hard day. We have introduced a few new items, and we had to focus more on certain aspects of the bike setup. We hope to be able to use our time better tomorrow and to concentrate on the rest of the program. We would like to work on the new rear tyres because we think that this is a fundamental aspect. We are trying to improve the riding style and the bike setup because we believe that these will help us to take the right advantage from the new solutions brought by Michelin”.

Andrea Dovizioso

Marc Marquez – P12

“It is really important to be back on the bike and I’m happy to be back but unfortunately I felt a little worse than I was expecting. I started with good energy in the first run but I had to calm myself down a little bit to make sure we can finish the day. I just tried to find my rhythm and work on what I needed to. The plan stays the same, 35 laps today, 45 laps tomorrow and see on the final day. The important thing is that the shoulder was stable and in the afternoon the pain wasn’t worse, step by step we just have to be patient.”

Marc Marquez

Alex Marquez – P13

“I am happy with how today went. The shakedown test allowed us to get a base and helped a rookie like me to begin to understand a MotoGP bike at this circuit. Today we are still improving, and we made some steps with used tyres. The track is in a better condition than at the shakedown and having more riders on track lets me learn more things from those around us. We still have a lot of work to do, but the team are great and using their experience to give me new things to focus on each run. Every day we have been faster and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

Alex Marquez

Danilo Petrucci – P14

“I am happy to be back on track. Today we didn’t focus on the lap time, but we worked on trying to rebuild a good feeling with the bike after this long break away from my Desmosedici GP. It had been difficult at the beginning, but in the afternoon, I think I was able to find the right path that will help me also improve in the next days. Today there were mixed weather conditions that made hard to understand our real potential: I always ran with used tyres and with the rain we couldn’t try the new items that we need to test. In general, it was a positive day, and it leaves me confident for tomorrow”.

Danilo Petrucci

Miguel Oliveira – P16

“Today started a bit up and down with quite a lot of test duties regarding the engine, but we were able to find a good feeling before the lunch break. For sure, we lost some time, but at this moment it’s not important for us to do the fastest lap time. We finished the day with good feelings about a change that we made on the electronic side. I’m quite happy with that and above all, my pace was pretty strong with used tyres, so I think we have much more room to improve there. Anyway, it was a positive day.”

Miguel Oliveira

Pecco Bagnaia – P17

“We are quite satisfied with the first day of work, we still have a lot to work on but the feeling is definitely good. It was a positive comeback after ending a fall last year, so I’m happy to be here again and have the opportunity to ride this bike that seems to have great potential.”

Pecco Bagnaia

Sylvain Guintoli – P18

“We’ve already done a lot of work in the days ahead of this test and made lots of selections for Alex and Joan to try. So today we continued, and we worked on things like the aerodynamic package. The weather wasn’t ideal as it was quite windy and also a bit wet, so it made it a bit trickier. But anyway, everything felt good and I managed to improve my personal best time here at Sepang so that was positive. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow!”

Johann Zarco – P19

“I was expecting better for me and to be little bit faster. I learnt a lot and I did a lot of laps. After some months, it has been very long time. I stayed calm and at the end of the day I did a very important step understanding my mistakes and how to ride better this Ducati bike. The are some points of huge potential. Step by step I will understand, I keep smiling because I’m living a good feeling. I don’t have any problem to have a bike from 2019 because it’s official and it’s a satellite team. My working plan for the reamining days is to understand more this bike and to be relaxed. If I do a good job I can be in the low 1:59.”

Johann Zarco

Iker Lecuona – P20

“Today has been quite difficult due to the conditions. After lunch it started to rain and when it stopped, it took quite long to dry up, so we lost a lot of time and the track surface wasn’t as good as before anymore. But in the morning, I managed to continue to learn and lower my lap time. I was working a lot together with the team, also with the setting of the bike. Overall, I feel good, I improved a lot, so I’m happy. Although the track conditions have not been ideal this afternoon, I could try something, which I liked, so we continue from there tomorrow.”

Iker Lecuona

Tito Rabat – P22

“This morning I was very happy, it was easy, we hadn’t changed any tyres and I really felt good. It’s still too early to draw conclusions, we’re on the first day. We went out for a couple of hours in the morning to test the bike. In the afternoon, after the rain, I was a little bit confused, it was a little bit harder and we didn’t ride too much. Tomorrow we will try to start well from the beginning and attack.”

Tito Rabat

Takaaki Nakagami – P23

“I think for everybody it’s a tough first day back, but the track conditions were quite good for a first day and you can see the lap times were quite fast. On my side it has been a bit of a struggle. I think it’s four months since I last rode at Motegi, which is quite a long time without riding a MotoGP bike so it’s been a hard first day. Physically it’s not the best situation yet, but I am so happy to jump on the bike again. We simply didn’t look at our position or lap times today, I’m was just happy to be back out on track. Of course, we need to improve our potential with the new bike, it’s the first time on the 2019 model for me. There are lots of things I have to understand, there’s quite a big difference between the ’18 and ’19 models and the character is not quite the same. My first impression is not negative though. I understand some people in the past might have said it wasn’t easy, but I think it’s just that the concept is different. What I feel is that it is a different bike, but I wouldn’t say it was negative. It’s just the first day and I need more laps to give proper feedback.”

Takaaki Nakagami

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team

“The riders spent the first two runs focused on getting back their feeling after more than two months of no riding. We have brought six bikes to this test to evaluate the improvements made between the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 testing. For the moment we have been able to confirm an improvement in top speed and potentially tyre life too. But there are other areas that need to be improved, which is to be expected at the start of the season. Tomorrow we will also test other new items that have already been tried by the testing team these last few days.”