Riders reflect on opening day of MotoGP practice in Austria

MotoGP 2021 – Round Ten
Styria Red Bull Ring – Spielberg

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) got the best start to the Michelin Grand Prix of Styria, the Japanese rider fastest on a mixed Friday after ending FP1 on top. The weather turned just in time to stop the MotoGP class improving in the afternoon, leaving his 0.076 advantage over the field to stand as we head into Saturday.

Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was the man in second by the flag as his Austria skills proved sharp as ever, and he also said he’ll try the new Suzuki ride height device on Day 2 after Friday proved such a positive first day on track. Third went to Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) after a late lunge from the number 41 in FP1, with his teammate Lorenzo Savadori then fastest in the damp-affected and drying FP2 to make it a good start to Styria for Aprilia.

Takaaki Nakagami – P1

“P1 is the best way to start the second part of the season, so I’m pretty happy with that after the long summer break. I’m feeling pretty good on the bike in dry conditions, in FP2 there were some drops of rain and the conditions were mixed so we couldn’t improve the lap time from this morning. But, overall, P1 is a good first day and we’ll keep working to improve the bike and I’m really looking forward to this weekend and the qualifying session.”

Joan Mir – P2

“I’m happy about today, straight away on my first pit exit I felt comfortable on the bike and I was able to push and be quite fast with consistent lap times. So it has been a good starting point, the bike has a solid base set-up. This afternoon in the wet and mixed conditions it was a bit more difficult, but it was important to understand which tyres might work best in the wet because on Sunday there could be rain, so it’s useful to try the feeling in various different conditions. We’ve done a great job today so overall I’m feeling good.”

Aleix Espargaro – P3

“It’s only Friday, but I am particularly pleased with our performance today because this is a track that has traditionally not proven to be our favourite. Despite only one dry session, we are already faster than our qualifiers last year. This demonstrates the undeniable progress the RS-GP has made. Due credit goes to the guys at Aprilia who continued working and testing with Dovi over the summer break, even managing to give us a few interesting developments. It isn’t easy to improve consistently each weekend, but we are giving it our all and it shows.”

Alex Rins – P4

“Both FP1 and FP2 were good for us. At the beginning of the first session it was a bit tricky to find the speed and get the correct braking points, but in the end it went well, we did some good laps and came up the timesheet. Then FP2 was wet, but in the end it was quite nice because by the end of the session the track was drier and I kept the positive feelings with the bike. If tomorrow we will have the conditions to try it already, it will be exciting to see how it works, but the main goal at the moment is to get into Q2.”

Pol Espargaro – P5

“The bike was performing well today when I pushed the lap time was coming. It was great to be back out riding after the summer break but for sure there is still some time from all of us to find. This is the kind of circuit where the bike works well, where we can make the most of our advantages. Our final lap time isn’t too bad, there’s room to work and improve but we are feeling positive in the wet and the dry. Let’s see what the weather does for the rest of the weekend.”

Marc Marquez – P6

“Honestly speaking I was expecting a lot more from today but I didn’t feel great today, so I accepted it and we keep working. It’s a little frustrating but we are doing what we can, and our times were quite good even though our level wasn’t what we wanted. We will see what happens over the course of the weekend and if my feeling improves. The bike is working well here and the times are quite close after the summer break. Certainly the weather might complicate things a bit later in the weekend, but it’s the same for everyone.”

Maverick Vinales – P7

“I felt good in all conditions, wet and dry. It was important to feel good and fast right from FP1, because we had a long break before. I think we have a good potential, but I hope that tomorrow the weather will be more consistent, so we can try more things and push a bit more. Here you never know. One moment it’s raining, but then suddenly the sun comes out and the track dries in five minutes, so you always need to be ready for anything. For sure, if it stays dry tomorrow, the plan is to keep doing laps to better understand the best way of riding at this track. We don’t need to touch the bike’s dry settings too much, they are good. I’m quite happy about the rhythm we had in the morning. Maybe we could have done a time attack in FP1, but we are still inside the provisional top 10 to promote to Q2 anyway, and that’s the most important.”

Fabio Quartararo – P8

“I felt really good on the dry today and pretty bad in the wet and half-and-half conditions. On the dry I felt much better on the bike than I did last year. In the mixed conditions I wasn’t feeling good, and I don’t know why. But that is why it was good to have these conditions today, so we could try to make a step forward for Sunday in case it rains. So, my aim is to find something this evening and improve for the race.”

Johann Zarco – P9

“A positive day, I am happy because I have immediately found good sensations despite not riding for 5 weeks. In FP2 I had a good feeling on the wet asphalt as well and so I can only be satisfied.”

Jack Miller – P10

“I’m pretty satisfied with this first day here in Austria after the summer break. We’ve been very busy today, trying different things on the bike, and unfortunately, the weather conditions weren’t favourable during the afternoon session. Despite this, I felt comfortable with the Desmosedici GP in both dry and wet conditions and the final minutes of FP2, when used slick tyres as a dry line appeared after the rain that fell earlier in the session. Tomorrow, we’ll make a few more small changes, but overall I think I’m ready for any weather conditions.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P12

“Despite today’s position, it was a pretty positive start for us. We weren’t expecting rain this afternoon, and after working on several aspects in the morning session, we wanted to try and improve our time in FP2. Unfortunately, the track conditions didn’t allow us to do that, but we could do more tests on the wet asphalt. We know what we need to do to improve and be in the top ten tomorrow morning if FP3 is dry, so I’m positive”.

Álex Márquez – P13

“First day here in Austria and it was nice to ride the bike again and I was feeling really good this morning in dry conditions. That’s one of things you worry about after a long break, whether you will get the feeling back quickly or whether it will take some time. Unfortunately, FP2 was wet, but it was also our test for Sunday as it looks like there’s a big chance of rain on Sunday. The feeling was also really good on wet. There are still a lot of things to do tomorrow in dry conditions, but I’m happy with the first day and looking forward to making steps tomorrow.”

Luca Marini – P14

“I had a good time today. From FP1 I found the same feeling as a month ago and I immediately felt comfortable on the bike. We did two sessions in different conditions and we got a lot of information in both dry and wet conditions. The feeling is good, as always the gaps here in Austria will be minimal, which is another reason to take care of all the details. Our ideal time was really good today, a few tenths less than my best lap. Let’s keep it up.”

Valentino Rossi – P16

“Yesterday everything was very emotional because I received a lot of messages from many people around the world, which was great. I also had messages from my old rivals like Casey Stoner, Max Biaggi and Jorge Lorenzo, and that was nice. It made me happy. Today was normal for me though; when you ride a MotoGP bike you have to have complete concentration because they are very fast, so I just tried to stay focused. I’m working to stay competitive in this second half of the season and it wasn’t too bad in the dry; at the end I didn’t change my tyre and my pace was alright. We suffered a little bit in the wet though, especially in the half and half conditions when it was drying.”

Jorge Martín – P17

“A good first day although I don’t believe the position I am currently placed in accurately reflects the work done today. I have good sensations and tomorrow my objective is to make it into Q2 and set a good lap-time.”

Danilo Petrucci – P19

“Today has been half a day for our work in the rain. We had the chance to ride in the wet and we were quite fast, so I’m happy about this, especially as Sunday’s weather forecast says rain as well. In FP1, I felt good as well, but we lost a lot of time on the straight, which is obvious in the standings of the top speed, where I am last. Therefore, our mission is to manage this loss of pace, because here you are on full throttle quite a lot of time. Let’s wait and see what happens tomorrow. Hopefully, we can improve.”

Iker Lecuona – P20

“In general, it was a difficult day. This morning in dry conditions, I struggled quite a lot with the bike, as I couldn’t stop it properly. We are there, but we also need to continue to work. This afternoon, we couldn’t try our new base for the dry, so we need to wait for tomorrow. The good news is, that we have been able to try the bike in the wet here, as on Sunday it looks like a wet race. I feel very good in the rain. I feel very fast, very good, thanks to the team. Plus, I’m happy to be back again.”

Enea Bastianini – P21

“It was a positive day and I was able to have fun on the bike. I love this track, but with the MotoGP it’s very physical. This morning went well, unfortunately we didn’t manage to put in a perfect lap, but I didn’t feel too bad. This afternoon in wet I felt quite comfortable, I tried to improve lap by lap and gain confidence and it went better than I expected. It was a good first day.

Lorenzo Savadori – P22

“Being first in a session, even if it’s on a wet track, is always great. I’ve always felt good in these conditions because, compared to the dry, the bike and the tyres move around more and that gives me a better feeling, similar in some ways to the bikes I’ve ridden in the past. In any case, even on dry asphalt, my sensations with the RS-GP are getting better and better. This is a new track for me, so I used the FP1 session mainly to find my references. We’ll need to work session by session, because the weather conditions are quite variable and this means that we’ll have to be ready for anything.”

Cal Crutchlow – P23

“It was a good day and it was nice to be back on the bike, to enjoy riding a motorcycle again. Of course it was strange to begin with and it was a difficult day with the weather but overall a good one. It’s going to take time to get used to the positioning of everything and completely dry weather would have helped me improve further, but we’ve got time for me to understand more and make tweaks to the bike to suit my riding style. I’m confident that we can improve. There’s no pressure from the team and I’m here to enjoy myself, but once you’re in the garage the racer’s mind-set kicks in and you identify where you can go faster and you really start looking at the data. I’ve enjoyed riding the bike today and looking forward to being back out there tomorrow.”

MotoGP FP1

Nakagami struck late in the morning, his final push of the session enough to deny reigning World Champion Mir by 0.076. Mir had been fast throughout and led the middle half hour of FP1 too, with Aleix Espargaro making a late lunge to take over in third, 0.378 off the top.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) made it two Hamamatsu machines in the top five, 0.038 off Aleix Espargaro, with Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) locking out the top five and also within a few hundredths.

The incident sheet was an all-KTM affair in the morning, with the home heroes suffering three issues. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) crashed at Turn 3, a lowside, before a technical problem saw wildcard and MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa pull his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine over between Turns 3 and 4. The exit of Turn 3 also saw drama for Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the Portuguese rider got flicked off his KTM, subsequently heading to the Medical Centre. He was judged fit to continue and initial check ups found no fractures, although as the weather changed in the afternoon he sat the session out.

At the end of FP1, it was Pedrosa – despite being over two years on from retirement – who was the fastest KTM, starting his weekend in P11.

MotoGP FP2

The afternoon began wet for the MotoGP runners, although a drier line had emerged by the last few minutes. And that’s when Savadori struck, the Italian timing it perfectly to top the session by a tenth and a half from Zarco. Mir was third, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in fourth and Aleix Espargaro locking out the fastest five.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) had been the fastest man for much of the afternoon, before the final push saw him leapfrogged by Rins, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Lecuona and Viñales, the eight-time World Champion ultimately ending the session in P10.

Lecuona suffered the only incident, the Spaniard running on at Turn 1.

MotoGP Friday Combined Times

FP1 times rule the roost on Friday, so Nakagami leads Mir ahead of Aleix Espargaro, with Rins and Pol Espargaro up next. His teammate, Marc Marquez, was a couple more tenths in arrears and only 0.017 ahead of the fastest Yamaha.

That was Maverick Viñales, as the number 12 pipped Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Fabio Quartararo by just under a tenth… and El Diablo’s closest challenger by the same margin as Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) slotted into ninth with an identical laptime to his compatriot. Jack Miller (Ducato Lenovo Team) completes the top ten.

The rain leaves Pedrosa outside the top ten as he remains P11 but fastest KTM, ahead of Bagnaia, who will also be looking for more in FP3. So too will Oliveira down in P15 just ahead of Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT), and Binder to boot. The South African heads the remaining KTMs from P18 down, and for a track where only Ducati and KTM have won, they’ll all be eager to make up some ground on Saturday morning.

MotoGP Friday Combined Practice Times

2021 MotoGP Standings

Moto2

The combined timesheets are a good mix of both sessions, with Bezzecchi and Augusto Fernandez taking a 1-2. Then come FP2’s fastest men as Gardner takes third ahead of Lowes, with Canet’s FP1 time slotting him into fifth.

Lüthi takes sixth ahead of Dalla Porta, the Italian’s best lap set in FP1, with Ogura in P8 as the fastest rookie – denying Championship challenger Raul Fernandez that honour by just 0.020. Vietti completes the rookie run in the top ten in P10.

Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Manzi, rookie Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and his teammate Marcel Schrötter are the final riders currently within the Q2 zone, although FP3 could easily switch it up again.

Moto2 Friday Combined Practice Times

Moto2 Championship Points Standing

Moto3

The top ten correlates to FP2 as they all improved in the afternoon: Binder, McPhee, Garcia, Fenati and Foggia are the top five, with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) in P6 to pip compatriot Antonelli. Masia was eighth, ahead of Filip Salač as he gets back on track with CarXpert PrüstelGP. Rookie Izan Guevara (Santander Consumer Bank GASGAS Aspar Team) had a good start to the weekend as the 2019 ETC Champion and 2020 FIM Moto3 Junior World Champion completed the top ten in FP2 and therefore overall.

Acosta just missed out on that top ten by 0.007, slotting in behind his fellow rookie in P11, with Sasaki taking P12. Neither Acosta nor Sasaki improved in the afternoon, but they were both fast enough in FP1 to retain a place in the provisional Q2 graduation zone.

The final two riders currently set to take a place in Q2 are Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), but will it shuffle again on Saturday morning in FP3?

Moto3 Friday Combined Practice Times

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

2021 Styria Red Bull Ring – Spielberg Schedule (AEST)

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

(Subject to change)