Miller dominates opening day of action at Misano II

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship
Round 16 – Misano, Italy

MotoGP

Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) ended a wet opening day at Misano on top thanks to a superb 1m41.305 in FP2, a lap time that saw the Australian enjoy a huge advantage of nearly a second over Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) by the time action came to a close.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) left it late to claim P3 on Friday, but the Spaniard is the only other rider to get within a second of Miller at Misano so far.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) ended the day in P8, but Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) had an even tougher time of it as the Frenchman took P16 on the combined time-sheets. Not the ideal start to a match point weekend, but there is plenty, plenty left in the locker in Emilia-Romagna.

FP1 Report

Zarco enjoyed a very successful opening session of the weekend as the premier class completed a rain-soaked Friday morning, the Frenchman fastest as he seeks to take home the top Independent Team rider crown this weekend. Second fastest was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), but the eight-time World Champion was 1.4s down on Zarco’s 1m42.374. Miller was third, starting the weekend off well, as team-mate Bagnaia initially did the opposite and crashed late on at Turn 8, rider ok.

Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) still made it three Ducatis in the top four though, with Bagnaia shuffled down to P6 as Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) impressed as the quickest Yamaha in fifth. Championship leader Quartararo started the day finishing 18th.

Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) both crashed unhurt in the opening stages of the session, and Aprilia wildcard Lorenzo Savadori was another to tumble.

FP2 Report

Rain in the morning and in the early afternoon meant the premier class got plenty of wet weather running under their belts on Friday, but the sun did creep through the clouds for most of FP2, allowing conditions – and therefore times – to improve. Miller was quick to demote FP1 pacesetter Zarco to P2 too, with the Aussie sitting over a second clear of anyone for a while and all but two riders improving by the mid-point of the afternoon stint.

With more rain forecast for Saturday morning as well, the conditions in FP2 – wet, but much better than FP1 – could be the best the riders face in the chase for an automatic place in Q2. And Quartararo was P12 with five minutes to go, with title rival Bagnaia looking more comfortable – after his crash in FP1 – in P5. But no improvements came from the Frenchman in the closing stages, meaning Quartararo was eventually shuffled down to P16 and Pecco – as things stand – would make his way into Q2 in P8.

Aleix Espargaro took P3 by the end of the session as he seeks to stop Zarco taking top Independent this weekend, ahead of an impressive KTM push just behind. The top ten after Friday is solely European manufacturers, with Ducati, Aprilia and KTM locking out provisional places in Q2…

Combined Times

Behind Miller, Zarco and Aleix Espargaro, that KTM push was led by Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) as the Spaniard impressed in the tricky conditions, as he’s done a few times of late. The Spaniard ends Friday in P4 on the combined standings after finishing FP1 in ninth, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 1.2 down on Miller but taking P5. The Portuguese rider also claimed top 10s in both sessions.

Rookie and home hero Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) very much impressed in P6as he prepares for his second premier class race at Misano, with another impressive performance on his tail too: Savadori. The Aprilia test rider and former full timer produced some familiar, classy wet weather prowess to pocket a P7 on Friday, fractionally ahead of Bagnaia in P8.

Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) added another dash of Austria to the top ten in ninth, with Martin (Pramac Racing) currently the final rider set to move through to Q2. Which means no Quartararo. Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and San Marino GP podium man Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) also missed out, and by exactly the same 0.033 as they set identical best laptimes on Friday.

All eyes will be pointing towards the skies when the riders open their curtains ahead of FP3, with plenty of big names – including Quartararo, legend Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and COTA-winning Marc Marquez all desperate to climb further up the order and secure a direct promotion through to Q2.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Jack Miller – P1

“I’m satisfied with this first day of work here at Misano. Despite the rain, the track conditions were good right from the start, and we could take advantage of a good level of grip right from the first session. Unfortunately, this morning I struggled to get the tyres up to temperature and took a few risks during the session. We made some changes for FP2, and with the warmer temperatures in the afternoon, I felt more comfortable straight away and pushed from the first minutes of the session. Now we have to continue working in this direction to take another step forward ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying: I’m determined to do well in this final part of the season.”

Aleix Espargaro – P3

“When the conditions are difficult like today, being in the top ten is always fundamental. This morning, with an extremely wet track, I didn’t have the best sensations. I was lacking grip. We worked on it and managed to improve in FP2, partly because the track was drying out. I waited until the final minutes to try for a fast lap, knowing that I would find an almost-dry line where the rain tyres heat up quickly and it worked. For tomorrow, our plan will depend heavily on the weather, considering the fact that it will probably be a dry race on Sunday.”

Iker Lecuona – P4

“I’m very satisfied about today. It was full wet in the morning and in FP2 we finished in mixed conditions. I felt really good, although we had a small issue with the front brakes in FP1, which made me not feeling comfortable, so we tried to solve it. In general, I felt good with the bike, we solved the issue for FP2 and finally, this afternoon, we improved a lot. I was riding alone and had a strong pace. In the end, we couldn’t improve with the new tyres as the track was drying out and it was very slippery. But I’m happy anyway and can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Luca Marini – P6

“I am very happy with today, I had a very good feeling in the wet and also in the final part of the second session with the drier track. The last lap was good and I only had one attempt after the tyre change. The initial plan was to go out on the soft tyre, but the track was already dry and I went back in at the last moment to put on the medium one. I didn’t make any mistakes and I got a good lap time that will be useful for me tomorrow if it continues to rain in FP3.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P7

“I told my mechanics again today that I could wait to get back to riding a MotoGP bike. I missed it! To be honest, the conditions today helped me. You push less in the wet and the turn angles are reduced, so that’s good for my ankle since I suffer when I have to apply pressure. In any case, I’m pleased with the position. The goal for tomorrow could be to go straight through to Q2. It will be difficult, but we’ll try.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P8

“I finished only eighth, but only because I couldn’t complete my last lap as I went on the green. Looking at the ideal times, I could have been second in the combined classification. Being fast here is very important for us, and for sure, being on our home track is an extra motivation to stay ahead. Let’s see how the weekend develops. In the wet, there are a lot of strong riders, but we have shown that we have a good pace, and if the race is dry, we know we have a lot of potentials. The important thing will be trying to stay in the top ten in tomorrow morning’s FP3, which could be held in the wet”.

Danilo Petrucci – P9

“This first day was almost full wet. Just at the end of the second session, the conditions were a little bit mixed. We always had a quite decent pace, even if I’m still missing a bit. We are fast, but even in the wet, we need to make another small step. I don’t know about the weather forecast for tomorrow, but on the wet, we are quite fast. For today I’m overall pretty satisfied about our work.”

Joan Mir – P11

“My feeling in the wet was OK in both sessions, and I felt quite competitive. It was interesting because I actually felt better when the track was at its wettest. When it started to get a little bit drier I didn’t feel as good, so we need to improve in those conditions. I had the speed during FP2 but then on my final exit I didn’t feel great with the track being drier and I couldn’t go faster. I’m a bit frustrated not to get provisional passage to Q2 by being in the Top 10 today, but I’m still quite close to the Top 10, so I’m not too concerned. I know that I have more potential, so it’s just a question of finding better grip in the dry.”

Enea Bastianini – P12

“It was a positive day and I’m happy with my performance. It was a pity because for 40 thousandths I’m out of Q2, I still have to improve in wet conditions. In FP2 we made a small step forward and finally I finished 12th. When the track dried up I felt more comfortable on the bike, even so, everything was very tricky. Overall I’m happy with my first day in Misano and tomorrow we will try to improve to be in Q2.”

Álex Márquez – P13

“Wet track all day today. During FP1, on the second lap, I had a huge crash, but I was not injured and the bike wasn’t damaged too badly, so it didn’t really change our plans. In the morning, I had a good feeling, although I wasn’t able to be really fast in the end. In the afternoon, it was wet again, but the track was drying lap by lap and at the end I was trying to push – while in the top 10 – but I wasn’t able to improve on the last lap and I finished outside the top 10 by one tenth. Tomorrow, we need to make a step, it looks like FP3 will be half wet and half dry, so all possibilities are open and we have to be ready for everything.”

Marc Marquez – P14

“The day started quite well and in the morning we had good speed, in the afternoon the session was a bit more complicated. I wasn’t able to find the perfect lap in the afternoon but even so, it seems our level in the wet is not as high as it normally is. I don’t think our true position is 14th in the wet but we need to understand what is happening more. It was important to make the most of today because the forecast for tomorrow and also Sunday remains uncertain.”

Alex Rins – P15

“Unfortunately I’m outside the Top 10, which is a bit strange because I felt much better in FP2 with the used rear tyre, I felt more confident than in the morning. But as the track dried I found that the grip level wasn’t as good, and then I couldn’t improve my time. We collected a lot of information from the race here last month, and also from the test, and hopefully we can implement some of that if the conditions improve. I managed to try some laps with different tyres today so that was useful.”

Fabio Quartararo – P16

“FP1 was quite difficult. In FP2 I was really happy because from the first lap I improved my lap time from FP1, and I managed to get a good place. I was P7 when I stopped, but as soon as the track dried it was a disaster. I had no feeling, and it was like we had completely changed the bike. But I feel like this is ‘a normal weekend’. I’m not saying there’s no pressure, but I feel like it’s normal. We take today as something we need to improve, because next year it will surely be important to be consistent and in a better position if we have rain races. It’s a little bit frustrating not to be in the top 10 today, because I feel that in the full wet we would have had the potential. It’s tough, but we will try to make a great result in FP3.”

Michele Pirro – P18

“It was quite a peculiar day. At the start of FP2 this afternoon, there was a lot of water on the track, so I waited for the conditions to improve before going out. When the track started to dry out, I went back out on new tyres, but I made many mistakes and couldn’t really express our true potential. That’s how the first day went, but I’m confident that tomorrow we can aim for the top ten in FP3 and have a good qualifying session.”

Pol Espargaro – P19

“Today was a little bit more difficult than we expected, also for all the Honda riders, the bike was missing some grip but we were able to make some improvements. When I crashed I was probably feeling the best I felt all day, my time was improving so it’s a shame to fall but we learned some things with it. At the end, we need to look to tomorrow and see what we can do. If it’s dry we will see what we can achieve because we had a really good test here. If it’s still wet, it gives us a chance to improve our current feeling.”

Franco Morbidelli – P20

“Today was a tricky day. But this morning I felt good with the bike. The team did a wonderful job in improving the setting compared to Austin. They did a lot of homework and gave me a better package this morning. Unfortunately, this afternoon it was not our condition. We struggle a lot when the track is drying. We need to work on that for sure but, speaking for myself, I am quite happy about today because we made a step. At least in the wet, the feeling is much better compared to Austin and Misano 1. I‘m curious to see what it will be like in the dry. I hope we will notice the same increase in our performance, so let‘s see what the weather brings tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales – P21

“Definitely a different day from what I expected. I had hoped to do a bit better, but we also need to consider my lack of experience on the Aprilia in the wet. A positive aspect is that in these conditions, all the reactions are slower and clearer, which makes it even easier for us to see which areas we need to improve in. Right now, I’d say that’s braking. I’ll compare data now with Aleix and Sava who demonstrated a good pace and we’ll try to make a step forward tomorrow.”

Valentino Rossi – P22

“I have mixed feelings about today. I was happy this morning and we started the day quite well because I was quite fast in the wet, where there was a lot of water on track, and I was able to ride in a good way. I also was not too far from the top-ten. Unfortunately in the afternoon, when there was less water and the track was starting to dry, I suffered in the mixed conditions. The bike was difficult to ride in places and I lost a lot of grip, it wasn’t the best session for us. The forecast is mixed for tomorrow and I hope we can have a dry day, but if it rains then I hope it is like this morning because I think we are more competitive in those conditions.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P23

“They were tough sessions today, both FP1 and FP2. It was wet conditions and especially in FP2 it was quite tricky as in the last 10 minutes conditions were changing a lot and lap by lap the dry line was getting wider. But it was good for us to have two sessions in wet conditions because we can try to improve (in those conditions). It looks like it will be dry tomorrow and Sunday, so we’ll have to prepare well for dry sessions.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P24

“I didn’t feel too good in the wet conditions and we are struggling a lot with grip, so that’s why I’m not as fast as I’d like. Today we faced two different conditions in the two sessions and I didn’t make a good lap time in either of them. We have some work to do tonight to be better tomorrow. My target is to work towards the top-ten by the end of the season, but I don’t think this will be possible here at Misano. I’m still not completely used to the bike, so it will be difficult to make a perfect lap tomorrow to be in that top-ten. We’ve done one race here already and the test after that, so what we learned then should help me tomorrow and Sunday.”

MotoGP Combined Times

Moto2

Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) put together an impressive day of two halves on Friday at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, fast in the wet and the dry and top overall. He has close company from Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in second, with Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) locking out a top three split by less than a tenth.

Title challenger and rookie sensation Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ended Day 1 in P8 and will be looking for more on Saturday.

Moto2 Combined Times

Moto3

Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) finished the San Marino GP on the podium and as action recommences at Misano for the Gran Premio Nolan del Made In Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna, the home hero was back at the sharp end on a wet Day 1. He beat Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) by just 0.007 on the combined timesheets, with his Rivacold Snipers teammate Alberto Surra also flying the flag for the home heroes in P3 overall, nearly three tenths off the top.

Championship challenger Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) was down in P23 and a fair way back on Acosta, but with conditions on Friday wet all day for Moto3 and race day expected to be dry, there may well have been more to lose than gain in pushing for the top…

Moto3 Combined Times

2021 Gran Premio Emilia-Romagna Schedule

MotoGP Standings

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar