Riders reflect on tense first day of practice at Aragon

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship
Round 13 – Aragon

Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) topped Day 1 at the Gran Premio TISSOT de Aragon, the Ducati rider putting in a late lunge as the final few minutes decided the combined timesheets. He enjoys nearly three tenths of breathing space at the top by the end of play, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) next up at a venue he and his machine have enjoyed some good success at – carrying that momentum from Silverstone. Third went the way of Cal Crutchlow (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the Brit pulled a seriously fast one to complete the top three on Day 1, and the number 35 was top Yamaha to boot. The top 17 were covered by nine tenths on Friday, and from second to 21st it’s just a single second.

FP1 Report

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) started the day with a statement. The eight-time World Champion laid down a 1:48.048, putting him a whopping 0.971 clear of reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). However, Mir did get within almost half a second on his final flying lap before that was cancelled, so the Suzuki rider seemed to have a little more in the locker initially…

Over a second off the number 93, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was a consistent presence near the top as he ended the session in third, with Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) taking fourth with a late move up the timesheets to within 0.013 of the Italian. Thick and fast thereafter came Miller, Aleix Espargaro, Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), with gaps ranging from 0.008 between the latter two and up to a maximum of 0.079 between Zarco and Quartararo. Close? Very. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top ten, 0.130 off Nakagami.

On Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) watch, the Spaniard did 21 laps and got down to a 1:50.187 in his first official session with the Noale factory – about a second off Bagnaia in third.

Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing) crashed early in the session, rider ok, before Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took a tumble in the latter stages at Turn 5, rider also ok.

FP2 Report

Fortunes changed as Marc Marquez grabbed more headlines but this time for a crash, with number 93 sliding out from behind Alex Marquez. Rider ok but clearly demonstrated his frustration, and he didn’t improve so ended up in P20 on the FP2 timesheets… just ahead of Joan Mir in a real reversal of FP1 for the two.

That was despite the number 93 still leading the combined times with five minutes to go too, but a final flurry of activity in the afternoon saw everything change. Aleix Espargaro and Lecuona charged, then Miller set down his serious marker to beat Marc Marquez’ FP1 best by a margin. Aleix Espargaro did that next, before Crutchlow put in a stunner to slot into second.

Quartararo pipped the FP1 marker next, with Bagnaia – who also crashed earlier in the session – then pipping the Frenchman too and slotting into fourth. Next came Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), before his team-mate Johann Zarco was the final mover and shaker. Almost literally, as the Frenchman leapt up more than ten places despite a serious front end moment on his final lap.

Combined Times

After the mad dash to the top, the combined timesheets saw everyone improve in the afternoon minus Marc Marquez. So Miller reigns with 0.273 in hand over Aleix Espargaro, with Crutchlow ending the day just 0.011 further back as top Yamaha, seriously impressing as his stand-in duty continues.

Zarco takes fourth ahead of Martin and Bagnaia – that’s four Ducatis in the top six as they show early promise of having moved forward a lot since our last visit to Aragon – and the margins remain tiny. Quartararo is P7, 0.002 off Bagnaia.

Eighth is where Marc Marquez’ FP1 chart-toppper fits in, 0.014 slower than El Diablo’s best from the afternoon, with Nakagami in ninth and Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) completing an impressive day in tenth overall – and therefore the last rider currently on to take a place in Q2.

That leaves Pol Espargaro out as it stands, down in P11, with last year’s Aragon winner Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in P12. The comes Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with a new chassis for the Austrian factory to explore too.

Mir ends the day in P21, Rossi in P19 and Viñales splits the two, although on a slightly different mission to those around him. The number 12 ended the day 1.142 off Miller after his first two official sessions with Aprilia.

Rider Quotes

Jack Miller – P1

“This is definitely the best way to start the weekend, and it’s a result that instils confidence. We found the track in good conditions right from the start. To be honest, I was surprised; given the rain that fell last night and the dust on the track, I expected a much more slippery asphalt, but the track was fast, and the grip allowed us to push immediately. This morning, I was able to have a good pace with used tyres, but I was not satisfied with it this afternoon. In FP2, we tried a couple of things that maybe took us in the wrong direction, but once we got back to the morning setup, I found my pace again. There are still some areas we can work on, but overall we are doing well. Now the goal is to continue to be fast. There are many competitive riders here at Aragón, so it will be important to improve consistently, to be among the protagonists in Sunday’s race”.

Aleix Espargaro – P2

“I am extremely satisfied with today’s results, both on the time attack front and in terms of our work with used tyres in view of the race. If I’m honest, I still don’t have that perfect feeling. I’m able to be fast, but in terms of feeling, I think there is still room for improvement. This morning, the grip on the asphalt was very poor and then it gradually got better, but thinking ahead to Sunday, when rather high temperatures are expected, we will clearly need to work well on tyre choice and setup.”

Cal Crutchlow – P3

“I wasn‘t surprised by the lap I did after that first sector. I knew that first sector was already a good one for me, so I knew while I was going on with the rest of the lap that I would be okay. The first sector isn‘t always my best sector, and I took it easy because I was a bit scared of Turn 2 with the cold front tyre. But after that I was okay. It was nice to do that lap. I haven‘t pushed and done a lap like that all year, so it was about time to try and do one – and I did. We had a good day today. It was nice to be able to get up there on the timesheets, but I don‘t care about the position. Of course, we want to go fast, but it‘s more about giving information about how I feel with the bike. I tried a few new things today. As a test rider, that‘s my job. It was good to go fast and push the bike to my limit.”

Johann Zarco – P4

“I am happy with today and I have found the right feeling.  In FP2, I was able to put out a fast lap and I hope to continue on this path tomorrow.”

Jorge Martín – P5

“I didn’t hope to be competitive today, This is not one of the easiest tracks for the Ducati bike and it require a lot of physical effort. My goal is to be in the top ten tomorrow after FP3 and have a good qualifying session.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P6

“I’m pleased with the result obtained on this first day at the MotorLand Aragón. Last year, we Ducati riders struggled a lot on this track, but today we were able to be fast right from the start, which shows that we did a great job on our Desmosedici GP. We already have a good base setup, and in the two sessions today, we tried different tyres, except the hard front, and we were able to be competitive with all of them. I’m satisfied with the work done on this first day, and I’m confident that we can do well also in qualifying tomorrow”.

Fabio Quartararo – P7

“I feel great. FP1 was tough because I was trying some tyres and didn‘t really feel great on the bike. This afternoon with the hard-hard tyre combination was much better. I tried something on the second run that I didn‘t like, and then during the time attack I ran into some traffic. But I‘m happy because I know I could achieve a time that‘s close to today‘s top time. I‘m quite satisfied and I didn‘t expect to make those fast laps in the first run, so I‘m pretty confident.”

Marc Marquez – P8

“We had a perfect plan; a new tyre in FP1 and then work on the race in FP2 but with the crash we changed our plan a bit. It did give us a chance to test the hard rear so it hasn’t impacted our race weekend a lot. For sure when I fell I was frustrated because I was feeling under control. Yes, I was behind Alex with the slip stream and braking slightly later but I knew I was too fast and I tried to go wide, but then I hit the dirty part of the track and fell. That’s why I was frustrated with the fall. I only pushed for a couple of laps today to save some energy, but so far when I push for race pace the lap time has been coming.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P9

“It was a good start for us today and we had a good feeling on the bike so far. The track condition this morning wasn’t great, but it improved in FP2 as there was more rubber on the track so everyone was able to improve their lap time. So I’m really looking forward to tomorrow in FP3 and the qualifying sessions, we need to stay in the top 10 in FP3 and be ready for Q2.”

Enea Bastianini – P10

“It was a positive day, where I started off on the right foot. I was able to enjoy FP1, but in FP2 I didn’t feel quite comfortable, because I didn’t feel a good grip with the front tyre. Fortunately, the time attack was good and I managed to set a good time that allowed me to save the day. I had a good pace, but as I said, in the afternoon the feeling wasn’t the same as in the morning.”

Pol Espargaro – P11

“Everyone is very close here today, from the top five down to me in 11th is only 0.1s so there’s nothing between us. One small mistake and you go from P4 to P11 which makes our laps in FP3 really important. We need to get a lap with no mistakes because spending just a tiny amount of time off throttle compared to another rider can see you in Q1 instead of Q2. But it’s been a good day, we were focusing on the race today and preparing for Qualifying so there’s speed to come. I’m happy with how it has gone so far and we’ve had a productive day working for the future.”

Alex Rins – P12

“In FP2 I focused on race set-up, I tried hard and medium tyres and I was checking everything ahead of race day. I didn’t do a proper time attack, even if I had some good laps. I feel comfortable so far and my main target now is to get into Q2 tomorrow. I will push in FP3 and see where I can end up. The team and I will analyse which will be the best tyre choice for the race, because at the moment they feel quite similar. But in the end it’s only Friday and we have time to get prepared for Sunday.”

Álex Márquez – P14

“In the morning it was great and I was feeling quite good on the bike, and also in the afternoon. Today the most important thing for us was to try all the tyre options and also to see which set-up we should try to keep working with. So, we are quite clear on all those things and did a good job, just with the soft tyre at the end of FP2 I wasn’t able to push as I wanted, but despite that I’m happy and it’s a positive day. I feel great on the track, tomorrow I need to polish a lot of things and improve, but I’m feeling great on the bike, enjoying it and the most important thing is we keep working like this.”

Danilo Petrucci – P15

“Since this morning I got a very good feeling with the front and could brake a lot later. The weakest points for us are always the long straights, but there are plenty of nice corners here, so I really enjoyed riding my bike today. In FP2 I just couldn’t put everything together, but I think if I can manage this tomorrow morning, I might make the jump to Q2. I’m really happy about this, because we are working a lot on the bike and we are gaining a good feeling. We still miss a bit of maximum speed to be really on top, but I’m still satisfied.”

Luca Marini – P16

“I’m happy with today. We worked well with the team, but it’s a pity I made too many mistakes on my time attack with the new tyre. Aragon is not an easy track and, compared to last year, it was a surprise to see a Ducati so competitive on this track. For tomorrow we will focus on the details, the electronics, the suspension, and then we will try to do a good FP4 to know which tyre to use for the race. For the moment, all three compounds seem to work well.”

Iker Lecuona – P17

“It was definitely not an easy day. I had a huge crash in the third lap of FP1. I felt really good and confident with the bike, but the tyre was too cold, I pushed too much and went down. Then I restarted to work in order to gain my confidence again. I have to say a huge thanks to my guys because they repaired the bike pretty quick to be ready for FP2. We worked hard, I felt good in the second session and I’m not far off the top. We still need to improve for tomorrow’s Qualifying, as I think we can fight for the Q2.”

Valentino Rossi – P19

“Today was difficult, which we expected a little bit because this track isn’t the best for the bike, nor for me. For some reason, I have always struggled here at Aragon. We will still give our maximum here and we will try our best to work better with the rear tyre. We will try to modify the settings a little bit to try to be gentler with it. In the end it wasn’t too bad though and we were better in the afternoon. I’m not the fastest but I’m only one second from pole position and that put me 19th. Normally here the grip improves each day and we will also try to be competitive tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales – P20

“On this first day, we did what we had set out to do, which was to turn as many laps as possible. Although the sensations were good in any case, there is still the fact that I don’t have that much experience on the RS-GP yet and I need to increase my confidence. We were able to improve consistently, shaving off more than a second between the two sessions, so that is positive. We need to keep working this way. Considering the high level here in MotoGP, it’s the details and especially the rider’s confidence that make all the difference.”

Joan Mir – P21

“Here there’s a huge difference between putting on a new tyre or a used one. I decided to do FP2 with the race tyre and not the soft one, because I wanted to understand the true feeling with the bike and to get prepared for the race. This afternoon it looks like I’m really far from the top, but in reality I’m not worried because I wasn’t pushing for a fast lap. Tomorrow the times will come down further and everything will get faster, so it will be interesting to see what we can do. I will be trying the soft tyres for sure, but of course you can’t just put that tyre on and go fast, it’s more important to work on the overall set-up.”

Jake Dixon – P22

“It’s really good to experience being in MotoGP for a second time. The speed of the bike wasn’t such a shock this time and it was really enjoyable. I struggled a bit in FP1 just to find my reference points, as it’s obviously different to when I rode here in Moto2. In FP2 we found a good direction with both the bike and me, plus the team are all working great. We stayed with the same medium hard tyres throughout the whole day and I felt really good. When everyone else was on the same tyre as us, we weren’t too far off. Tomorrow we’ll put the soft on to try a time attack and I think we could be quite close to the guys at the front. I really enjoy this track and when you have a good feeling somewhere, you tend to do alright. The overall result doesn’t reflect on what we’ve done today, as we didn’t use a new tyre, and I feel like we can do a really good job tomorrow.”

MotoGP Combined Friday Practice Times

2021 MotoGP Standings

Moto2

Moto2 Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ends Day 1 at the Gran Premio TISSOT de Aragon as the fastest man in the intermediate class, but the Spaniard had some seriously close company as Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) got within just 0.007. Completing the top three it was rookie sensation Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) despite recent surgery for a small metacarpal fracture, but he had even closer company as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was just 0.003 in further arrears in fourth.

Moto2 Combined Friday Practice

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

Moto3

Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) struck late on Day 1 at the Gran Premio TISSOT de Aragon to take over on top, the Turk’s advantage just half a tenth after a close first day on the Moto3 time-sheets. Rookie Izan Guevara’s (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) incredible form at MotorLand continued in second, this time in the Grand Prix paddock, with Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) completing a top three split by just 0.076. Even more incredibly, the top 21 are all covered by just 0.999 after Day 1 at MotorLand.

Moto3 Combined Friday Practice

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

2021  – Aragon Schedule  (AEDT)

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

(Subject to change)