Riders and MotoGP Team Managers reflect on Sachsenring Day One
Maverick Viñales – P1 / 1’22.161
“Honestly I can’t explain the crash; I just lost the front without any evidence of the cause. Corner 11 here is always very tricky, I need to check the data to verify if maybe I was a little wider than normal, or there was something else different from the previous lap; but it may also be a matter of temperature: In corner 1 and 3 – the other right-handers – I was ok, but then corner 11 is very far away and it’s very hard to keep the right-shoulder of the tyre at the proper temperature. Anyway, the start has been good, the position is positive; but we still have some work to do. This track is very tight so we started from a set-up that guaranteed good agility, but now we have to find a good balance having a little more stability in some parts. It’s not ‘gonna be easy because as always, when you improve in one direction, you lose something in the other.”
Andrea Iannone – P2 / 1’22.381
“At the end of the day, I am satisfied. Both this morning and this afternoon the feeling with the bike was very good: I started off very confident and I like the way the bike behaves. I’m a bit surprised, because both last year and in 2014 we struggled quite a lot here, and so it means that once again we have all managed to do a good job together. Today we had a few problems with grip in general, but I think this is a problem that everyone has. In my opinion, Michelin brought the right tyres for this circuit, but the only problem is that the temperature was too low today and so we had to adapt the set-up of the bike to deal with the situation.”
Marc Marquez – P3 / 1’22.775
“Today was a good day, although the way that it began was a little strange. In the first session we were only able to do a few laps because it started to rain slightly, but it wasn’t heavy enough to put on wet tyres. The second session was more-or-less normal, although there were low temperatures and a very cold track. We had to dial things back a little, especially at turn 11, where many riders crashed. Nevertheless, I felt quite comfortable with the bike. We want to improve on some points and have to keep working, because the forecast for tomorrow is that temperatures will improve slightly. It will be an interesting Grand Prix because of the weather, and the prediction is that on Sunday we’ll have a situation like today, when rain could fall at any time.”
Cal Crutchlow – P4 / 1’22.817
“I felt okay today, but obviously I didn’t take too many risks – especially in sector three where everyone was crashing in turn 11. I was losing half a second in there but I’m experienced enough to know that there’s no point taking the risk at the moment. I felt good and comfortable on the bike and the team did a great job. We’re not struggling, but we did have a little problem with the brakes so that limited the session for me. It’s strange coming here with the temperature being so cold, it’s added a new element to the Sachsenring. I like riding at this circuit, lots of fans come out and I hope we can continue tomorrow where we left off today. I tried one of the asymmetric compound front tyres today, but we’ll probably have to try the harder one tomorrow as the left hand side is a bit too soft for the Honda. Michelin have done a good job though I feel. I don’t think it’s easy for them to keep 23 riders happy, with their different bikes and riding styles.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P5 / 1’22.930
“My weekend has begun in a positive way, especially if we consider that the track was in a difficult condition because of the cold and it was very easy to crash. In the end we are in a good position, even though the feeling with the bike is not yet perfect and I can still feel some vibration in the right-hand corners. I hope that the weather improves tomorrow, which will allow us to work better so that we can figure out these last few details.”
Aleix Espargaró – P6 / 1’22.953
“We improved a lot and found a good balance, but I still lack some confidence with the front end. The asymmetric tyre works well, but the problem here is that the circuit is tricky, especially on right-hand corners because there aren’t many, so we need to work to improve the set-up and help the tyre work. Our machine is very agile here, the chassis is giving me a good hand, but we still miss some finalisation of the settings. The cold hasn’t helped us, we hoped for some warmer temperatures, but we already have some ideas to try tomorrow that could help us to manage the conditions and find some more efficiency.”
Hector Barbera – P7 / 1’23.015
“Today was a positive day, despite the difficult conditions. In the morning, we were able to complete just a few laps, but in the afternoon we adapted to the track conditions and we got a good result. Seventh is a great place to start the weekend, but anyway, the track temperature was really cold today and it was quite easy to make a mistake. Turn 11 was tricky and you had to be very careful there. This has been always a critical point for the front tyre, and although Michelin brought a new asymmetric front that works really well, you have to be always alert in that turn. The best thing about today was the final position, and also that I was able to go fast, because I always struggle in these conditions”.
Danilo Petrucci – P8 / 1’23.053
“I’m happy: we started the week end in a good way. We were fast since the morning. Unfortunately the weather did not help us with a very light rain which takes away confidence. Tomorrow we have room to improve and be closer to the front but this is already a positive day. Maybe we need a little more grip on the rear because I can not take advantage of the new tire. But at the same time I do not want to lose the confidence I feel on the front.”
Scott Redding – P9 / 1’23.061
“I made a mistake in FP1 because the tire was still cold as the tarmac temperature and in that condition I may have pushed too much. But in the afternoon we were able to do a good job. I found consistency even if the conditions were not the best. We have to see what the weather does tomorrow but I think we can still improve a lot and I’m very confident for the qualifying.”
Yonny Hernández – P10 / 1.23.123
“We have started this Grand Prix fairly well; we have a good pace and we finished amongst the top ten in both practice sessions. We go into qualifying with a good setup. I want to do a few more laps tomorrow before choosing which tyre to run in the race. On my final stint I put in ten laps and it seems as if the tyres are behaving rather well, but the race is thirty laps. For this reason, we will do a longer stint tomorrow, of 15 or 16 laps, then make our decision. I want to have everything under control, so let’s hope that it doesn’t rain.”
Pol Espargaro – P11 / 1’23.40
“The weather has clearly influenced the opening day here in Germany, because neither myself, Michelin nor anybody else expected Germany to be like this in July. Therefore, I suffered but especially with the front. Altogether I would say, that the compounds that we have available seem to be a bit too hard, and it’s not at all easy to bring them up to the right temperature. Anyway, we were able to get out on track and try a few setup solutions, but we can say now that the bike is working well overall so I’m confident for the rest of the weekend. I believe that today’s results can’t be taken into account too much as a lot of riders changed tyres at the end of the session, and we didn’t do this, but nevertheless I am sure that we can make a big improvement on new rubber. We decided to finish on the same compounds that we used all day in order to have a higher number left for FP3 and the qualifying session because the allocation here is quite tight. Now we look forward to better weather for tomorrow.”
Bradley Smith – 12th / 1’23.460
“Obviously, conditions like these always make it difficult here in Sachsenring because it’s a track that only has three right corners. You expect the circuit temperature to be around 30 degrees as it’s July, but I don’t think it was even above 20 today which of course, makes the job more difficult for Michelin. We saw the usual crashes that we unfortunately expect at turn eleven and hopefully all the riders who fell are ok, but there are always a few falls on the first day, as we begin to adjust the setting and our riding style for the remainder of the weekend. On the track I felt good, especially this afternoon and we kept the tyres from this morning so in the end, after doing four runs, we did full race distance by the end of FP2. In addition, I did my best lap on my last which means we are looking quite strong in terms of endurance. Yet, I am disappointed to be outside of the top ten, but we are not too far away from that target and my teammate is only a small step in front. It looks like we have room for improvement tomorrow so we’ll make some minor changes and wait for better track conditions, then hopefully, with a bit more temperature, the front tyre and rear will work better, but overall, I am pleased with our start.”
Jack Miller – P13 / 1’23.485
“I feel pretty good on the bike but it was a bit of a shame to miss most of this morning’s session because of the weather. Luckily enough we got some dry time this afternoon and I was able to put in some decent laps. I’ve got a bit of a strange feeling with the front at turn 11 and it can be quite scary at times. We’ve seen a few guys crash in that part of the track today and you’ve got to be pretty careful at that point. We’ve got the bike working pretty good and I’m really close in every sector apart from the second one. We’ve got some ideas to improve in that area so I’m really confident I can have another strong weekend. I like the track and the Honda is working well here again, so we’ve got an opportunity to be competitive again.”
Valentino Rossi – 14th / 1’23.534
“This was a difficult day for all the Yamaha riders, especially because we were struggling to find the right feeling with the front and the right temperature with the front tyre. Also the softer option is a bit too hard and we don’t have the feeling or enough confidence to push to the fullest. This afternoon I also had another problem: I was stuck in traffic and wasn’t able to do the lap at 100% and in fact I’m very far behind, so we hope for tomorrow and Sunday to have a better temperature and a little bit more sun, that can help us a lot.”
Dani Pedrosa – P15 / 1’23.740
“Today was a very tough day because the track temperature was very low. I was riding on the limit and I saw several riders crash, especially in turn 11. Riding fast wasn’t possible, so we decided against taking risks under the circumstances. Hopefully tomorrow the weather improves, and we’ll continue working to recover our pace and try to place high up on the timesheets.”
Jorge Lorenzo – 16th / 1’23.824
“It looks like these are very cold and slippery conditions and you have to be very careful with the tyres. This morning I had a crash going downhill so to be honest I didn’t get good confidence in any of the corners of the track and I felt really slow. All the Yamahas are struggling at the moment in these conditions and I’m the slowest one, so let’s see if we can improve our speed. My physical condition after the crash is OK and will not be a problem for Sunday.”
Alvaro Bautista – P17 / 1’23.958
“With the weather conditions today we certainly could not push to the limit, so we had a general initial contact with the Sachsenring. The feelings are not bad at all, although we didn’t force our hand. This is a track where you are in turns for a lot of the time, so traction is very important, especially at maximum lean angle. Today we tried to find as much as possible, especially using the electronics, but that is not enough. We will also need to find more mechanical grip and avoid exploiting the traction control too much. The other front we worked on was stability, which we need to improve. We have the potential to improve a lot for the qualifiers tomorrow”.
Stefan Bradl – P18 / 1’24.116
“This was an odd first day. The weather made things difficult, especially during FP1. I crashed as it began to rain on a turn where many others crashed. Fortunately, I was not hurt. In the afternoon the conditions improved a bit, but the setting we started with turned out not to be effective. We changed the rear of the bike in one direction, without finding any great benefits, and then toward the end of the session we went back to a configuration that we know better. The feeling was improving, but unfortunately the session was over by that time. Hopefully tomorrow the better weather will allow us to continue working in this direction which seems to be able to bring good results”.
Tito Rabat / P19 – 1’24.746
“Losing most of the session this morning, and the conditions being cold and windy for FP2, made today difficult for me because I need time on track to gain experience of riding a MotoGP bike here. It is difficult to get temperature in the front tyre, especially on the right side because turn 11 is the only fast right where you work the front hard. The conditions made it difficult but I was happy to improve on my last run but the crash at turn 11 caught me by surprise. I’d just clicked fifth gear and turned in when the front suddenly washed out. Fortunately I don’t have any pain, so I can return tomorrow motivated to give my maximum and improve my feeling.”
Eugene Laverty – P20 / 1.24.911
“The track temperature is twenty degrees lower this year than it was last year so obviously that has had a big effect on grip. I think Michelin have brought the correct tyres, but the weather has brought the wrong temperatures! I tried the intermediate tyre today and even though it was hard to get the bike turned at full lean the lap time was only around six tenths off the guys on slicks so if it is colder or damper tomorrow we know it is an option that we can use. I crashed in turn one, which is one of only a couple of right-handers here, although I am glad it was there rather than turn eleven where a few riders went off. It is hard to know what to do to make that corner safer, other than introduce another right-hand corner somewhere else, but there is no room here! We have a big bike with a strong engine so it was always going to be hard to make it work at this track. We have to keep trying tomorrow”.
Loris Baz – P21 / 1’25.049
“I would have liked to do more laps today to get back on the pace quicker. The best thing was that I didn´t have too much pain in my foot. I can feel that I lost power, but the pain was tolerable. Step by step I’m building up my confidence again and I´m getting my feeling back with the bike, which is good after a long period recovering at home. The fact that this track has many left turns also helps. I started to train just two weeks ago, so we have to wait and see how I feel after a long run of laps. As I said, I have no pain, but I feel weak in the foot when I need to push the footpeg. We used today to get some feeling, and tomorrow we’ll see what the weather is like. If it rains on Sunday, it might be a little bonus for me”.
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“Today Maverick was very good, he was already very fast before he had the crash, but then he recovered very quickly and got back lapping fast almost immediately. It was very important to get back in the saddle being fast, and he also got the fastest time; and this means he has a good feeling with the track and that we are improving the machine’s performance. Not bad for Aleix also, although we still have some room for improvement and he doesn’t feel completely satisfied. His position is not bad and if we manage to improve a little we can perform well with both riders. The day was hard because this morning was very cold and the weather was uncertain, with rain sometimes and dry other times. It was a difficult day but we finished in a positive way.”
Massimo Meregalli – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“We weren’t expecting such a difficult start and the weather conditions made it more complicated, which didn’t help us. Luckily Jorge was cleared for any fractures in his left hand after this morning’s crash and was able to take part in FP2 as usual. It was a pity that Vale got stuck in traffic and missed the opportunity to put in a hot lap by just three seconds in the afternoon. We still have a lot of work to do in both sides of the garage to improve the bike set-up. It looks like the weather forecast for tomorrow should be good and we have to exploit these circumstances and drastically improve our speed in order to directly promote to Q2.”
MotoGP 2016 – Sachsenring – Day One MotoGP Times
1 VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 1’22.161
2 IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Ducati Team Ducati 0.220
3 MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.614
4 CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda Honda 0.656
5 DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team Ducati 0.769
6 ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.792
7 BARBERA Hector 8 SPA Avintia Racing Ducati 0.854
8 PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 0.892
9 REDDING Scott 45 GBR Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 0.900
10 HERNANDEZ Yonny 68 COL Aspar MotoGP Team Ducati 0.962
11 ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1.239
12 SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1.299
13 MILLER Jack 43 AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 1.324
14 ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1.373
15 PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1.579
16 LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1.663
17 BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 1.797
18 BRADL Stefan 6 GER Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 1.955
19 RABAT Tito 53 SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 2.585
20 LAVERTY Eugene 50 IRE Aspar MotoGP Team Ducati 2.750
21 BAZ Loris 76 FRA Avintia Racing Ducati 2.888
