Tag Archives: #QatarGP

Vinales to start #QatarGP season opener from pole position

2019 MotoGP – Round One
Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying Results / Report

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) has taken the first MotoGP pole position of the 2019 season at the VisitQatar Grand Prix, a 1:53.546 enough to give him a little breathing space ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who join him on the front row of the grid.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Vinales Dovizioso Marquez
Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying Results
VINALES Maverick SPA Monster Energy Yamaha 1’53.546
DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA Mission Winnow Ducati 0.198
MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.199

Maverick Viñales – P1

“I was surprised. I didn’t expect that everyone was going to be so fast. We’ve made good steps forward with the bike, but we need to keep working, because we still need to improve the exit of the last corner. If we can do that, we are going to be ready to fight for this race. I will push my hardest tomorrow, no fear, I will go for it. I’m able to hit good lap times and I’m fast straight away. I will give my all. The team prepared a really good bike for me, so now it’s in my hands to push and be at the front. I think it will be a group of five to six riders that will battle at the front in the first laps. Let’s see at the end of the race. I will plan tonight what I can do, but my first plan is just to do my best.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Vinales
Maverick Viñales

Viñales was two-tenths clear, but the gap between Dovizioso and Marquez was a tiny one-thousandth-of-a-second. Three previous winners and three different manufacturers on the front row, the first qualifying session of the season sets a stunning scene for Sunday.

Andrea Dovizioso – P2

“I’m very happy because we managed to improve significantly over the weekend. The tests here left us with a few doubts, but we stayed calm and focused, which in the end is always the best approach. We have great chemistry within my team and we knew how to react. We posted a really fast lap, which wasn’t even perfect, so I’m even more confident about our possibilities. That said, the lap times don’t necessarily show how the race will unfold, since the wind and low track temperatures can still change the picture. At any rate, I’m really happy to start from first row.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso

Marc Marquez – P3

“It’s one of the circuits where we usually struggle so I had to work on the strategy to get a front row. This was the target and I am happy to have achieved it. Especially today where it was incredibly cold and windy, if it’s like this tomorrow we need to survive. Yesterday I felt really strong with the bike but today it was tougher and it was so easy to crash and we had to limit the risks. Tomorrow we will see what happens, the temperature could change a lot.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Marquez
Marc Marquez

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) impressed early as the rookie initially shot to the top of the times, only to be beaten almost immediately by Q1 graduate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu).

That’s when Viñales struck, storming to the summit with a lap that was 0.741 quicker than anyone else. Quartararo and Nakagami exchanged second fastest laps to leave the Japanese rider 0.395 off as the field headed in for a change of tyres, but it was soon about to change.

Viñales led the troops back out for their second runs and the goalposts were moved once more. Three more tenths were shaved off his best time, with Miller then slotting into P2 and just 0.2 off. The Australian crashed at Turn 2 soon after though, ending his hopes of pole and leaving his time under threat. Dovizioso needed no second invitation, making a move into second place soon after. The Italian looked set to challenge Viñales again as he went over a tenth under after the first split, but the lap was gone by the second sector; his qualifying effort over.

Attention then turned to Marquez, who was on the tail of Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati Team) as neither sat on the provisional front row with little time left. Tactics on point, the reigning World Champion was able to snatch P3 from Miller. Encouraged by the front row at a difficult track, the number 93 is ready to fight it out on Sunday.

Miller therefore heads up the second row as top Independent, but it was a pretty close challenge from Quartararo by the end of the session.

Jack Miller – P4

“Unfortunately the crash that didn’t allow me to complete the second lap. I’m sure I could have ended up with the front row. However, I am very satisfied with what we did today, especially in the FP4 with a long run where the race pace was very positive.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Miller
Jack Miller

The French rookie retained his stunning pace so far and lines up fifth, just a tenth-and-a-half off the Aussie.

Fabio Quartararo – P5

“I felt really good in Q2, I was clearly on the limit on my second run. I am really happy to have lapped inside 1’54 and I hope I can be in the fight tomorrow. Our race pace is very good and the fast lap too, so I am very satisfied with the job we have done so far. The race is going to be fast, because the riders at the front have a very strong pace and they are really quick, but I will try to stick with them and above all finish the race, which is very important. I am really happy to have met a person who has been my idol in Formula One for years, and especially to be able to swap helmets with him. I would love to make it to an F1 Grand Prix, I am a big fan of the series and I try not to miss a single race. Lewis Hamilton is a great driver, I am sure I would love it on a motorcycle too. I wish him the best of luck for his season.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completes an all-Independent second row, with plenty of honour – and points – up for grabs for each.

Cal Crutchlow – P6

“Today was a good day, we’re pleased to qualify in the front two rows for Sunday’s race. The whole LCR Castrol Honda team has done a good job all weekend to work on the bike. I didn’t feel great yesterday in FP1, but in FP3 and FP4 we think we’ve improved the setting of the bike which is good. Now we just need to improve some small details for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to a good race tomorrow. I think the pace will be fast but, as they were in qualifying, I think the track conditions could be tricky. We’re pleased to have been able to make a good job and now hopefully, as riders and fans, we can all look forward to great MotoGP race for the opener of the 2019 season tomorrow.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow

Petrucci starts seventh and, after outpacing teammate Dovizioso for much of testing, will be gunning to move forward on race day and battle for his first victory.

Danilo Petrucci – P7

“Looking at the positives, we’ve been really fast in FP4 and that gives me confidence. The feeling with the bike was really good, so much that I posted my best time towards the very end. Our target, however, was to qualify in the first two rows and unfortunately we missed it, even if by a really small margin. I couldn’t ride as fast as I would have liked, and that gives us a bit more work to do but it also represents an extra motivation ahead of the race. It’ll be crucial to get a good start but I’m quite confident given our pace. There are plenty of competitive rivals, and tyre management will make the difference, so we have to be as prepared as possible also under this aspect.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) is P8, with Nakagami eventually knocked down to ninth.

Franco Morbidelli – P8

“Q2 was a good session for me, it was important for tomorrow to get on the front three rows of the grid. We have to decide which tyre compound is the best for the race, but luckily in terms of the setting of the bike I feel comfortable, so we’ll see tomorrow. My objective for the race is to stay with the front guys for as long as possible and then we’ll see what happens from there.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli

Takaaki Nakagami – P9

“It was a really good day today, even FP3 was good and then in FP4 we were working for the race distance and the pace was quite good. I knew that Q1 would be tough because Cal (Crutchlow), Valentino (Rossi) and (Jorge) Lorenzo were there, so I tried to have a really strong mentality from the beginning. We were really close to Q2 anyway, but to get through was a good step, although the Q2 session was another story. It was difficult to maintain a good position (in Q2) although I was in second place on my first tyre. I know that everybody tries to improve at the end, but unfortunately in the last few minutes I made a small mistake and I had no chance to improve my lap time. But P9 is still good, it’s my best qualifying position and I’m really looking forward to the race and want to thank my team.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Nakagami
Takaaki Nakagami

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completes the top ten and was a crasher on Saturday – another who’ll be looking for much more once the lights go out. Rookie teammate Joan Mir is right behind him.

Alex Rins – P10

“Today was a bit hard for me, I had two crashes – one in FP3 and one in FP4 – so it was hard to start Q2 with a clear mind, and the track conditions didn’t help me. Anyway, I was able to improve my lap time even when riding alone. We’ll focus on tomorrow’s race, I feel that I have incredible race pace and strong rhythm with a used tyre, so we’re ready to enjoy the race.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Rins
Alex Rins

Joan Mir – P11

“Qualifying was difficult because I couldn’t find the right feeling to push hard, and I expected a bit more after my pace in FP4. But it was the first MotoGP qualifying session of my career, and it’s not a bad position to start in for tomorrow. I have consistent pace and we’ll see if we can learn from the top riders tomorrow and have a good race.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Mir
Joan Mir

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) is P12, ahead of rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing).

Aleix Espargaro – P12

“The track conditions during the qualifiers were truly treacherous due to the wind combined with the asphalt temperature. It is a situation we really need to think hard about because it is truly dangerous. On my flying lap, with the second tyre, I lost the front end twice. It was my mistake, but with the medium on the front, which is the tyre that I’ll need to use, it was really difficult, so I wasn’t able to improve on my time. Now we need to think about the race. We have a good pace over race distance and I think that we’ll be able to battle for a spot in the top ten, but if the conditions are like they were today, it will be a difficult race for everyone.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro

Pecco Bagnaia – P13

“I made a mistake at turn 12 and missed Q2 by a very short while. It’s the first qualifying session of the year, the first qualifying session in MotoGP and it is possible to make a mistake. My pace in the FP4 with used tyres was good. I think staying in the Top 10 is possible.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Bagnaia
Pecco Bagnaia

Then come two big surprises: Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in P14 after a tough day and Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) in P15. Lorenzo suffered two crashes, but is fit to race.

Valentino Rossi – P14

“It’s difficult, because we are in trouble. I’m not fast because I don’t have a good feeling with the front, and also we have a lot of tyre degradation. For the race this will be hard, so we need to find a way to be stronger.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Rossi
Valentino Rossi

Jorge Lorenzo – P15

“I have some pain in my back and I need to rest and then see how I wake up tomorrow. It hasn’t been a great day today, very unlucky with the first crash. There were a combination of factors that made me have a very nasty crash which has created a lot of pain. Then in qualifying I crashed because it was too cold, it wasn’t a good day for us. It will be a race of survival, especially for me with my experience with the bike and also my pain.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo

Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying Results
Pos Rider Motorcycle Lap Time Gap Top Speed
1 Maverick Viñales YAMAHA 1’53.546 0.000 329.3
2 Andrea Dovizioso DUCATI 1’53.744 0.198 342.0
3 Marc Marquez HONDA 1’53.745 0.199 346.0
4 Jack Miller DUCATI 1’53.809 0.263 344.7
5 Fabio Quartararo YAMAHA 1’53.946 0.400 335.1
6 Cal Crutchlow HONDA 1’54.095 0.549 346.4
7 Danilo Petrucci DUCATI 1’54.200 0.654 338.7
8 Franco Morbidelli YAMAHA 1’54.236 0.690 332.4
9 Takaaki Nakagami HONDA 1’54.239 0.693 336.7
10 Alex Rins SUZUKI 1’54.257 0.711 335.5
11 Joan Mir SUZUKI 1’54.390 0.844 338.7
12 Aleix Espargaro APRILIA 1’54.917 1.371 342.2
13 Francesco Bagnaia DUCATI 1’54.472 Q1 0.202 338.8
14 Valentino Rossi YAMAHA 1’54.537 Q1 0.267 336.3
15 Jorge Lorenzo HONDA 1’54.563 Q1 0.293 339.6
16 Pol Espargaro KTM 1’54.740 Q1 0.470 333.9
17 Miguel Oliveira KTM 1’55.122 Q1 0.852 338.9
18 Tito Rabat DUCATI 1’55.428 Q1 1.158 344.0
19 Andrea Iannone APRILIA 1’55.464 Q1) 1.194 343.4
20 Karel Abraham DUCATI 1’55.642 Q1 1.372 341.3
21 Johann Zarco KTM 1’55.797 Q1 1.527 332.5
22 Hafizh Syahrin KTM 1’55.937 Q1 1.667 337.3
23 Bradley Smith APRILIA 1’56.036 Q11.766 335.7
MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Results MotoGP
Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying Results
VINALES Maverick SPA Monster Energy Yamaha 1’53.546
DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA Mission Winnow Ducati 0.198
MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.199

Moto2

Schrötter strikes for first career pole in Qatar
Remy Gardner to start from row two

Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) is set to start the VisitQatar Grand Prix from his first ever pole position, setting a best time of 1:58.585 to beat Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) by 0.146, with Free Practice’s fastest man Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) completing the front row.

It was the first time the intermediate class had taken part in a Q1, Q2 format qualifying and it was Schrötter who set the early pace before creating his own first. Pole set on his sixth flier, he ended the session 0.146 ahead of Vierge, with Baldassarri jumping up the timesheets in the latter stages to grab a front row start – just 0.199 from pole.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Moto Marcel Schrötter
Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP)

After progressing from Q1, Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) put in a good shift in Q2 to head the second row in fourth, although it could have been better if not for the Italian crashing at Turn 2 with just over two minutes to go. Gardner starts fifth, ahead of Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) in sixth, 0.260 from pole.

Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) will line up seventh on his first start since returning to the Moto2 class, the Swiss rider 0.419 off his teammate’s pole lap, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) joining him on the third row in P8. Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) will lineup ninth for the opening race of the year, with fellow Spaniard Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) completing the top ten.

Reigning Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed during FP2, rider ok, and he starts P11 as the leading rookie.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Moto Vierge Schrötter Baldassarri
Moto2 Qualifying

Moto3

Aron Canet storms to opening Moto3 pole

Sterilgarda Max Racing’s Aron Canet clinched the first Moto3 pole position of the season in impressive fashion at the VisitQatar Grand Prix, the only man the go beneath the 2:06 barrier and eventually finishing just under two tenths clear of the chasing pack with a 2:05.883. The front row is completed by two men starting from there for the first time: Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) in second, although he was on the podium at Losail last season, and Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) in third.

John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) starts from fourth and could be one to watch as a former podium finisher at the venue too, impressing in the first ever Moto3 Q2 despite coming through Q1. SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Nicollo Antonelli, who starts fifth, is another with a top record as the Italian won in 2016. He recovered from a crash at Turn 10 with seven minutes left on the clock in Q2.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Moto Aron Canet
Aron Canet

Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) will sit on the outside of the second row of the grid, ahead of Italy’s Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team) and Sky Racing Team VR46’s Celestino Vietti after he became the first man to top a Moto3 Q1 session. Reale Avintia Arizona 77’s Vicente Perez ended the session ninth quickest, just three thousandths of a second ahead of reigning Junior Moto3 World Champion Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team).

A hugely frustrated Romano Fenati (Snipers Racing) had to settle for eleventh on the grid after not leaving pitlane for his last attempt at taking pole position until there was exactly two minutes remaining, meaning the chequered flag came out before he could start a final flying lap.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Qualifying Moto Dalla Porta Canet Toba
Moto3 Qualifying

2019 MotoGP Round One Schedule (AEDT)
East Coast Daylight Savings Time
MotoGP FP1 Friday 2340-0025
MotoGP FP2 Saturday 0400-0445
MotoGP FP3 Saturday 2315-0000
MotoGP FP1 Sunday 0320-0350
MotoGP Q1 Sunday 0400-0415
MotoGP Q2 Sunday 0425-0440
MotoGP Race Monday 0400

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Source: MCNews.com.au

Marquez leads Vinales & Miller after Friday Practice in Qatar

2019 MotoGP – Qatar Grand Prix
Friday Free Practice

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.


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.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

Marc Marquez – P1

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

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.

Maverick Vinales – P2

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales

Vinales 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.

Jack Miller – P3

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Jack Miller
Jack Miller

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.

Danilo Petrucci – P4

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

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?

Andrea Dovizioso – P6

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso

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.

Fabio Quartararo – P5

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

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.

Franco Morbidelli – P7

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Franco Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli

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.

Alex Rins  – P8

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Alex Rins
Alex Rins

Aleix Espargaro – P9

“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”.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro

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.

Joan Mir – P10

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Joan Mir
Joan Mir

Davide Brivio – Suzuki 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.”

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.

Jorge Lorenzo – P11

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Jorge Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo

LRC Honda pair Takaaki Nakagami and Cal Crutchlow were next on the time-sheets.

Takaaki Nakagami – P12

“I’m quite disappointed about today’s result, of course during the session (FP2) we had quite a good position and put on a medium tyre thinking about the race. On the medium tyre the lap times were quite good and we were always in the top 10. But then at the end of the session everybody put on a soft tyre and it was like a qualifying because in FP3 it will be almost impossible to make a lap time as it will be too hot. So this (FP2) was a really important session, but unfortunately the rear grip didn’t work very well for me with a soft tyre. I tried my best to make a lap time, but missed the top 10 by less than one tenth and I’m very disappointed to end in 12th position. But I’ll try to be positive for the second day and make a strong FP4 and qualifying.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Nakagami
Takaaki Nakagami

Cal Crutchlow – P13

“I’m a little disappointed with today’s result, I had a tough FP1 and, while FP2 was a lot better, it’s still disappointing to be in Q1. Tomorrow it will be very difficult to go faster in the heat, in the daylight as FP3 is at the wrong time, so it will be very difficult for us to improve to get into the top 10 for Q2 – this is why everybody pushed like mad. I used two soft tyres, the first one I was very happy with although I made a big mistake on my lap. I’m angry at myself, it’s my own fault, my own mistakes, but as my crew chief has just said to me, three months ago we didn’t think we’d be racing here so we have to take the positives. The positive for me is that I still think I can be competitive this weekend and get a good result, but I just wasn’t fast enough today through my own mistakes.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow

Jack Miller’s rookie team-mate Pecco Bagnagi was in P14.

Pecco Bagnaia – P14

“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”.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Pecco Bagnaia
Pecco Bagnaia

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.

Valentino Rossi – P16

“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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP 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.”

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales

2019 MotoGP – Qatar Grand Prix
Friday Combined Free Practice Classification
  1. MARQUEZ  Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 1’53.380
  2. VINALES Maverick 12 SPA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 0.474
  3. MILLER Jack 43 AUS Alma Pramac Racing 0.528
  4. PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Mission Winnow Ducati 0.673
  5. QUARTARARO Fabio 20 FRA Petronas Yamaha SRT 0.774
  6. DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Mission Winnow Ducati 0.876
  7. MORBIDELLI Franco 21 ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT 0.895
  8. RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.940
  9. ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 0.987
  10. MIR Joan 36 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1.022
  11. LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Repsol Honda Team 1.048
  12. NAKAGAMI Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda 1.064
  13. CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda 1.072
  14. BAGNAIA Francesco 63 ITA Alma Pramac Racing 1.421
  15. RABAT Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing 1.652
  16. ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1.668
  17. ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1.673
  18. ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 2.032
  19. IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2.052
  20. OLIVEIRA Miguel 88 POR Red Bull KTM Tech 3 2.255
  21. ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Reale Avintia Racing 2.274
  22. SYAHRIN Hafizh 55 MAL Red Bull KTM Tech 3 3.057
  23. SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Aprilia Racing Test Team 3.454
MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Results MotoGP
2019 MotoGP – Qatar Grand Prix
Friday Combined Free Practice Classification

Moto2

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.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Results Moto
2019 MotoGP – Qatar Grand Prix
Moto2 Friday Combined Free Practice Classification

Moto3

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.

MotoGP Rnd Qatar Friday Results Moto
2019 MotoGP – Qatar Grand Prix
Moto3 Friday Combined Free Practice Classification

2019 MotoGP Round One Schedule (AEDT)
East Coast Daylight Savings Time
MotoGP FP1 Friday 2340-0025
MotoGP FP2 Saturday 0400-0445
MotoGP FP3 Saturday 2315-0000
MotoGP FP1 Sunday 0320-0350
MotoGP Q1 Sunday 0400-0415
MotoGP Q2 Sunday 0425-0440
MotoGP Race Monday 0400

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Source: MCNews.com.au