MotoGP 2018

Round 12 – Silverstone

Friday Practice Results & Report

Andrea Dovizioso came out firing to go fastest overall on Friday at Silverstone but home hero Cal Crutchlow was only a slender 0.005s off the Italian’s 2:01.358 to finish the opening day of practice in second place.

Andrea Dovizioso – P1

“I’m pleased because despite the difficult track surface conditions we were able to put in a good performance, especially this afternoon when I lapped with the tyres used in the morning and we were even quicker. Unfortunately, here at Silverstone the bumps in the asphalt make the situation rather complicated, but in any case I can see that virtually everyone is struggling: they’ve resurfaced the track but the conditions are worse than last year. Luckily the grip is good and so in the end things are not going so badly. Tomorrow we’ll try and use some other tyres, seeing as today we only focussed on tyre solutions for the rear, but for the moment I’m very satisfied with this first day.”

Cal Crutchlow – P2

“I don’t think it was superb today, but that’s me being a racer and wanting to improve. Obviously I’m happy with the position I’m in, but I’m not fantastically happy with the way I feel on the bike. But overall I’m pleased, I happy with the way the team is working with regards to how we’re approaching the weekend and doing our job, but I’m concerned for the weather and with the forecast for Sunday. I want a dry race because I have the pace to win this in the dry. I do not want to say anything bad about Silverstone because they do a great job here with how they run the event. But the track is in bad shape, I rode here three months ago and it was flat and perfect, but now it’s really bad and there are a lot of bumps, especially on a MotoGP bike with the horsepower we’ve got. With the wind we had today also, it made it a difficult day for everybody.”

Maverick Viñales stayed up at the sharp end for a strong opening day overall, with the 2016 winner 0.061 off the top to end the day in third overall.

Maverick Viñales – P3

For sure, Silverstone is a circuit I really love to ride at. I love every corner of this track, so this helps a lot. The combination of this track and this bike helps too. We made good improvement. We could see today in the data that the bike was working better than it was in the previous races, and that’s really important. We’re going to try to at least fight for the win. So far we’re having a good weekend and we’re feeling positive. There’s still work to do, but we’re at a good point. Concerning the lines, riding style, and electronics, there’s still a little room for improvement. This will be very important for the next days.”

After a sunny morning, the threat of rain was in the air but it held off as the premier class got an all-important dry Friday under their belts on a newly resurfaced Silverstone.

Behind that close trio at the top it was Championship leader Marc Marquez who took fourth – joined in the top five by Austria sparring partner Jorge Lorenzo – despite some ups and downs for the two.

Marquez suffered a crash in FP1 – a low drama lowside – and Lorenzo left it late to blast back into the top ten and provisional Q2 entry should the weather change.

Marc Marquez – P4

“I’m very happy with today’s final outcome because this morning we didn’t have the best start to the weekend; I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike and also had a small slide that didn’t help. We struggled with the bumps, wind and new asphalt because last year’s base setup wasn’t working so well anymore. We did a recheck of everything and made a huge step from FP1 to FP2. We understood the direction to follow, which is very positive; the team has done a great job. We must continue this way tomorrow as there are a few things we have to improve further, but the important thing is that we’re right there again, not far from the top. Tomorrow we’ll try to get a front-row start, but if that’s not possible, we must do not worse than the second row because with a high chance of rain on Sunday, it will be important to start near the front.”

Jorge Lorenzo – P5

“I’m quite pleased with the work we’ve done today, because in the afternoon we were able to improve the bike from this morning. In the second session I felt a lot better and we resolved a few set-up problems, and if we continue like this I think that we can get our times down even further tomorrow and fight for the leading positions. Despite the fact that it has been resurfaced, the track has more bumps than before and the grip hasn’t improved, and that’s the reason why we weren’t able to lap with better times today.”

After finishing FP1 in fifth, meanwhile, Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) continued to rediscover his early season speed to end Friday sixth fastest overall, less than half a second behind fellow Ducati man Dovizioso.

Jack Miller – P6

“I am pleased with this first day of free practices. The feeling is very good and we have done a good job with the tires. Maybe we didn’t find the ideal moment to get out with the soft but with the medium one, the time is really good. We have great confidence”.

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) managed to grab a top ten position in seventh at the end of FP2, the Frenchman jumping up two positions from his P9 in the morning, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) eighth quickest overall after finishing FP1 in second – a turnaround so far for the Iwata marque after a tough Red Bull Ring.

Johann Zarco – P7

“We were lucky to have dry conditions today, so I’m happy because we were able to do some really good work in the course of the day. In the afternoon we improved a lot and on my last three laps I really got a great feeling and I’m satisfied that the bike was answering well. We ended up in seventh position, which is going to be useful in case of rain tomorrow to be straight in Q2. The track itself is difficult, the wind and the bumps make the bike moving a lot, but this pushes us to work even more on the bike. I think we can find further solutions for this, which will also help us a lot for the next races.”

Valentino Rossi – P8

“It looks like this track is better for the M1 and Yamaha, our bike works well. Maverick and I are quite fast. About the tyres, I tried the soft, I tried the medium, front and rear. It’s always a lot of work with the tyre decision, because you have to understand the situation well, but it looks like it didn’t change a lot compared to last year. The allocation is good. The new asphalt’s grip is a bit better than the old one. It’s also good because last year we had a lot of types of asphalt, there was a bit of confusion, but now there’s just one. The problem is the bumps, because they remained and there are quite a lot of them. That situation is difficult, but for the rest it’s good.”

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director

“We started the weekend exactly as we intended: having both riders feature at the top of the timesheets right from the first session. The test in Misano last week helped us prepare a bit for this weekend, because we started it the way we ended things there. We know the YZR-M1 suits this track, but we were curious about the new asphalt. Despite the cooler weather conditions and the bumps on track, both riders are quite comfortable on their bikes. We’ve been able to compare multiple tyre options, but the combination for the race hasn’t been decided yet. We’ll continue the fine-tuning tomorrow and we’ll we keep an eye on things because changeable weather is forecast, so we’ll need to be able to adapt to whatever the weekend brings. It looks like the race will be wet, so we hope to have at least one fully wet practice session to prepare for Sunday.”

Fellow Italian Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) consolidated a top ten in FP2 to finish ninth quickest, with Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) sitting in the final provisional automatic Q2 spot in tenth, improving from P11 in FP1.

So far Silverstone looks set to be a classic, with Ducati, Yamaha and Crutchlow all aiming to take the fight to Marquez this weekend. The premier class have another chance to book their place in Q2 on Saturday morning, with big names such as Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) all aiming to get into the top ten before qualifying.

MotoGP 2018 Round 12
Silverstone Friday Practice Results

1. DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team Ducati 2’01.385
2. CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda Honda 2’01.390 / 0.005
3. VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 2’01.446 / 0.061
4. MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2’01.529 / 0.144
5. LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Ducati Team Ducati 2’01.782 / 0.397
6. MILLER Jack 43 AUS Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 2’01.819 / 0.434
7. ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2’01.962 / 0.577
8. ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 2’02.152 / 0.767
9. IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 2’02.231 / 0.846
10. BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Angel Nieto Team Ducati 2’02.448 / 1.063
11. NAKAGAMI Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda Honda 2’02.515 / 1.130
12. PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 2’02.616 / 1.231
13. RABAT Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 2’02.704 / 1.319
14. MORBIDELLI Franco 21 ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 2’02.759 / 1.374
15. PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 2’02.864 / 1.479
16. ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 2’02.938 / 1.553
17. SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 2’02.974 / 1.589
18. SYAHRIN Hafizh 55 MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 2’03.293 / 1.908
19. RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 2’03.591 / 2.206
20. REDDING Scott 45 GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 2’03.810 / 2.425
21. LUTHI Tom 12 SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 2’04.178 / 2.793
22. ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Angel Nieto Team Ducati 2’04.223 / 2.838
23. BAZ Loris 76 FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 2’04.773 / 3.388
24. SIMEON Xavier 10 BEL Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 2’05.212 / 3.827

MotoGP Championship Standings

1. MARQUEZ Marc SPA 201 Repsol Honda Team
2. ROSSI Valentino ITA 142 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
3. LORENZO Jorge SPA 130 Ducati Team
4. DOVIZIOSO Andrea ITA 129 Ducati Team
5. VINALES Maverick SPA 113 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
6. PETRUCCI Danilo ITA 105 Alma Pramac Racing
7. ZARCO Johann FRA 104 Monster Yamaha Tech 3
8. CRUTCHLOW Cal GBR 103 LCR Honda
9. IANNONE Andrea ITA 84 Team Suzuki Ecstar
10. RINS Alex SPA 66 Team Suzuki Ecstar
11. PEDROSA Dani SPA 66 Repsol Honda Team
12. MILLER Jack AUS 61 Alma Pramac Racing
13. BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA 57 Angel Nieto Team
14. RABAT Tito SPA 35 Reale Avintia Racing
15. ESPARGARO Pol SPA 32 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
16. SYAHRIN Hafizh MAL 24 Monster Yamaha Tech 3
17. MORBIDELLI Franco ITA 22 EG 0,0 Marc VDS
18. ESPARGARO Aleix SPA 17 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
19. SMITH Bradley GBR 15 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
20. REDDING Scott GBR 12 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
21. NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN 11 LCR Honda
22. KALLIO Mika FIN 6 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
23. ABRAHAM Karel CZE 4 Angel Nieto Team

Moto2

FP1’s fastest man Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) ends Friday at the GoPro British Grand Prix fastest overall following the heavens opening for the intermediate class in FP2, with Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) and local hero Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) rounding out the top three after proving the fastest trio in the morning.

The start of the afternoon session was dry, but it wasn’t long before the rain started to fall on the Northamptonshire circuit – ending anyone’s hopes of improving their times from FP1. This meant the overall standings remained as they were from the morning, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) fourth quickest and FP2’s quickest man Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) fifth overall.

Fabio Quartararo (+ Ego Speed Up Racing) goes into qualifying day as the sixth quickest rider at Silverstone, with Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46) seventh on the combined times – 0.741 back from Schrötter.

Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) continues his good run of form to finish eighth on day one, with Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers Team) and Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) completing the top ten.

Meanwhile, Championship contender Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ended Friday down in P20 on the combined timesheets. The Portuguese rider began the day with a lowside and was then thwarted by the rain – so he’ll likely be one of the first to blast back out on Saturday, looking to improve.

Tech3 Racing’s Remy Gardner immediately found a great feeling from the word go at the Silverstone circuit this morning and was proving his great wet skills later in a rainy FP2.

Remy Gardner – P17

“This has been a pretty positive day here in Silverstone. We didn’t put the soft tyre in in the dry this morning, but even with the harder option I felt like I could have gone faster, so I think we are not too bad. In FP2 I did one lap in the dry with the softer tyre and I felt really confident immediately, then it started to rain. It was good fun in the rain as always.”

Moto3

Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) went fastest in Moto3 FP2 to go top on Friday at the GoPro British Grand Prix, despite having finished 18th in FP1. It was close at the top, however, as Championship leader Marco Bezzeccchi (Redox PrustelGP) ended the day second and just 0.008 behind his compatriot, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounding out the top three on the overall timesheets.

The rain threatened to disrupt the lightweight class’ second session of the weekend, but it held off before the field came out to put in some of the quickest times of the day. Fourth on the overall timesheets was Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider), improving from his P16 finish in the morning, with Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) rounding out the top five after the opening day’s track action – slipping down from P2 in FP1 as the top five were the only riders to drop below the 2:15 barrier.

Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) was the man to beat in the morning, however, and the German rider eventually ended up sixth fastest on the opening day as the top 20 riders all improved their times in the afternoon. Seventh overall was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), with Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrustelGP) in P8. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) improved from 22nd in FP1 to finish ninth at the end of the opening day, with the still-recovering Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) rounding out the top ten in another impressive performance despite his crash at Brno.