MotoGP grid for the Qatar GP decided by practice times after bad weather sets in
After overnight rain, a storm and too much standing water on track at Losail International Circuit, the original timetable for Saturday at the Qatar MotoGP saw some adjustments before the decision was taken by Race Direction to cancel track action for the day.
Conditions were deemed too dangerous to enable riders to get out on track – with little chance of improvement as rain and lightning began again.
Therefore, it’s combined times after the end of FP3 that will decide the grid ahead of Sunday’s racing.
That means Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) will start from his first pole for Yamaha, with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone and reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) joining him on the front row.
The second row is: top rookie Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) in sixth.
The third row – so from P7 to P9 – is Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda).
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) heads up Row 4 in tenth, ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing). Jorge Lorenzo is in 12th on his debut with the Ducati Team.
Warm Up will be extended tomorrow for MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3, with each session given a new length of 30 minutes.
Maverick Viñales, P1
“It’s been very strange, and strange that it rains in Qatar! From FP1 I’ve felt really good and I did a great laptime, riding much faster than qualifying from last year so we are happy we can ride like that and have a good pace for tomorrow. We want to try to make our own pace, make some last adjustments in the Warm Up, it will be important to end that with a good feeling. Try to make the race and hope the weather can be good. It was difficult today, it wasn’t ok for wet tyres or dry tyres – it was too risky to go out. For me it’s safety first and it’s tricky conditions. The plan to prepare the race – full tank, used tyres – was for FP4. So we’re disappointed we couldn’t do that and we’ll try tomorrow. For everyone who can’t do the work they want, it’s always a bit disappointing.”
Andrea Iannone, P2
“For us it’s important to start from the first row and it’s the best for tomorrow. But it’s difficult for us because we don’t know what will happen in the race. Maverick and Marc have good pace we saw from the test, and we have to recover. Tomorrow we’ll try our best in the first lap and in the race. But the practice before is also important because we need the information to improve. Today safety is more important and it’s too dangerous to go out on track. It’s the same for everyone and the most important thing now is tomorrow.”
Marc Marquez, P3
“Today it’s important because it’s time to prepare for the race. For us, yesterday we tried a lot of things. On the first day I felt good with one base, yesterday I tried a lot of things and today was the time to look at it all and prepare for the race. But it’s the weather and we can’t do anything. It’s too dangerous because it’s been heavy rain all night and this morning so we’ll see tomorrow. Starting on the front row for me is a good result – it’s not the best way to achieve it – but it’s a good result and tomorrow we’ll try to fight for the podium. Warm Up will be important – but here we’ve done more than 300 laps this weekend, and during the test. Everyone knows what the possibilities are for the race – and we know a podium would be a great result for us. I don’t know if the grip will change a lot for us tomorrow or not. I think for us in MotoGP the grip will be ok because before we have the Moto3 and Moto2 races. But I hope they can dry the track, and that the weather keeps stable until tomorrow – and we’ll see how the grip is. We can find the feeling again, and then start the season well.”
MotoGP 2017 – Round One – Qatar – Day Two Combined Free Practice Times
- VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Team 1’54.316
- IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.532
- MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.596
- ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 0.692
- DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team 0.726
- REDDING Scott 45 GBR Octo Pramac Racing 0.769
- PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.797
- FOLGER Jonas 94 GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 0.892
- CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda 0.895
- ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Yamaha Factory Racing Team 1.098
- PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Octo Pramac Racing 1.119
- LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Ducati Team 1.145
- BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Pull&Bear Aspar Team 1.265
- BAZ Loris 76 FRA Reale Avintia Racing 1.308
- ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1.318
- MILLER Jack 43 AUS Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1.643
- ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team 1.687
- RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1.863
- RABAT Tito 53 SPA Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS 2.052
- BARBERA Hector 8 SPA Reale Avintia Racing 2.409
- LOWES Sam 22 GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2.538
- ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 2.800
- SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 3.338
Intermediate class grid formed from FP3 combined
Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) will start from pole in Moto2, ahead of teammate Alex Marquez. Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) is in P3.
Fourth is Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Danny Kent (Kiefer Racing) joining him on Row 2
Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing), Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing), and rookies Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Fabio Quartararo (Pons HP40) complete the top ten.
Jorge Martin’s first position on grid for Moto3 based on practice
Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) starts from pole ahead of Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) and Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers).
Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and teammate Niccolo Antonelli head Row 2, joined by Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) in P6.
Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46), Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Juanfran Guevara (RBA BOE Racing Team) and Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate) complete the top ten.
