MotoGP Race Lap Record: Marc Marquez, 1:47.639, 2013

MotoGP All Time Lap Record: Valentino Rossi, 1:46.208, 2018

2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship

Autodromo Internazionale Del Mugello

Tuscany, Italy

May 31, 2019

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.732

2. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:46.778

3. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:46.863

4. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:46.966

5. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:46.973

6. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:47.062

7. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:47.167

8. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:47.170

9. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:47.185

10. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:47.268

11. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:47.347

12. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:47.419

13. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), 1:47.421

14. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:47.483

15. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:47.579

16. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:47.612

17. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:47.686

18. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:47.726

19. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:47.887

20. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:48.114

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:48.146

22. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:48.496

23. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:48.914

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Rookie invasion: Bagnaia and Quartararo rule Mugello on Day 1

…with Petrucci on the chase and KTM in the top four

Friday, 31 May 2019

Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) stole the headlines on Friday in the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, with the rookies taking a 1-2 and split by just 0.046 at the top – making it the first time since Qatar 2008 qualifying, when Jorge Lorenzo took his debut pole ahead of Brit James Toseland, that two rookies have topped a full session. Their closest competition came from Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) as the Italian was just under a tenth in arrears in P3, with some big names outside the top ten: Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team).

Conditions were a stark contrast to Le Mans as the sun shone over the stunning Tuscan countryside in Mugello, and as the clock ticked down, every rider apart from LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) had improved on their FP1 times with just under 20 minutes to go. As is oft the case in MotoGP™ FP2, however, most of the chopping and changing came in the final ten minutes.

FP1 leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was sat at the top of the times for most of FP2, followed by a quintet of Ducatis, before Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales then jumped into the top four and fellow Yamaha rider Quartararo moved up into P3 as the timing screens lit up with red sectors. Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) was the next to strike as he took over at the top, before Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro stuck in the first 1:46 of the weekend to take P1 and impress once again.

Petrucci and Quartararo then exchanged fastest times at the top, but with seconds to go there was another Italian on the march: Bagnaia, who improved drastically from a P17 in FP1 to delight the home crowd. That pushed Quartararo down to second, but only by half a tenth, with Petrucci in P3 and Pol Espargaro keeping hold of his top four.

Viñales didn’t lose too much ground to end the day in fifth after a more difficult FP1 down the timesheets, with Marquez down in P6 as he looks to take his third win in a row. Key rival Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), pushing to recover from a tougher French GP, was seventh quickest on Friday, ahead of LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow in eighth. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) took P9 after a late crash for the Australian that dropped him out the running, with italian Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completing the top ten and list of provisional automatic graduates to Q2.

So who’s missing? Dovizioso is in P11 so not far off, with Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) just behind him despite a big off for the Frenchman – rider ok. But Rossi is P18 and Lorenzo P20 after Day 1, and two have a combined total of 13 premier class wins at Mugello. FP3 will be pivotal for both, but there’s no need to panic just yet: with good weather forecast it should provide a thrilling time-attack from the whole grid and they’re sure to play a part on Saturday morning.

Tune in from 9:55 (GMT +2) local time as FP3 decides those heading straight through to Q2, before qualifying from 14:10 to gives us the grid for another absolute stunner at Mugello.

Friday’s fastest:

1 – Francesco Bagnaia* (ITA – Ducati) 1’46.732

2 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) +0.046

3 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) +0.131

4 – Pol Espargaro (SPA – KTM) +0.234

5 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) +0.241

*Independent Team riders

Marini reigns Moto2™ on Day 1 at Mugello

Home hero fends off Lüthi on Friday – by just 0.008

Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini concluded the opening day of the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley as the man to beat in Moto2™, leading FP1 and following it up by going fastest in FP2. It was close, however, with Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) just 0.008 seconds off by the end of play. 2017 winner Mattia Pasini (Petronas Sprinta Racing), replacing the injured Khairul Idham Pawi, made it two Italians inside the top three as he ended Friday in third.

Lüthi’s teammate Marcel Schrötter was back at the sharp end under the sunny Tuscan skies on Day 1 too, with both Dynavolt Intact GP riders finding a big improvement from FP1. Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) rounded out the top five and was top rookie on home turf, making it a top first day for the team as neither Marini nor Bulega have finished inside the top five so far this season so far.

MB Conveyors Speed Up’s Jorge Navarro was P6 and just over half a second adrift of Marini, and he was the first non-Kalex rider once again, although closely followed by the Red Bull KTM Ajo of rookie Jorge Martin after a solid opening day from the Spaniard.

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), meanwhile, was the only man in the field not to improve on his FP1 time and as a result slipped to eighth overall. The French GP winner crashed out at Turn 1 halfway through the session and was unhurt but as a result ended the session two tenths off of his best lap from the morning.

Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini was ninth quickest ahead of fellow Italian rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) after a top day for the debutants – four of them were in the top ten – with veteran Simone Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) in 11th as he looks to repeat his Le Mans pace on homesoil.

Ahead of FP3 on Saturday, the provisional remaining places in Q2 are heading to Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), with Championship leader Lorenzo Baldassarri in 18th after Day 1. He is, however, only 0.902 behind Marini and made a pretty good comeback after a tougher Friday in Jerez…

Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s Marco Bezzecchi, meanwhile, was the source of some drama as he crashed out at Turn 5 but, despite a trip to the medical centre, he was thankfully declared fit for his home round and will be back out on track for FP3 from 10:55 (GMT +2) on Saturday. Then, it’s on to qualifying from 15:05.

Friday’s fastest:

1 – Luca Marini (ITA – Kalex) 1’51.986

2 – Tom Lüthi (SWI – Kalex) +0.008

3 – Mattia Pasini (ITA – Kalex) +0.187

4 – Marcel Schrötter (GER – Kalex) +0.461

5 – Nicolo Bulega (ITA – Kalex) +0.538

Suzuki sets the pace on Friday

Japanese rider fastest on the first day for home team SIC58 Squadra Corse – followed by a trio of Italians

SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Tatsuki Suzuki took top Moto3™ honours on Day 1 at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, putting in a 1:57.467 in FP2 to fend off a superstar Friday from Italian wildcard Kevin Zannoni (RGR TM Official Team). Second Italian Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) completes the top three at Mugello – all within an incredible half a tenth – with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) on the chase in P4, just 0.073 off the top and after topping FP1.

Beautiful sunny skies met the grid on Friday and the timesheets in Moto3™ made for a spectacle in themselves: Suzuki’s fastest lap was 1.6 seconds quicker than he went in the morning, Zannoni two seconds faster and Arbolino over a second – with many of the big improvers leaving it late. The likes of Antonelli also shaved a good chunk off their laptimes in the afternoon but he was a consistent presence in the top echelons, as was John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as he ended the day fifth overall.

Another close trio followed from P6 to P8, with Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) locked within just over half a tenth. Rodrigo was also second in FP1, but Sasaki and Ramirez both made huge improvements in both laptime and position by the end of play in FP2.

Italian veteran Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers), who won the race in 2014, was ninth fastest and just over three tenths off Suzuki, with Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) completing the top ten in a solid opening day for the South African.

Some names looking for more on Saturday will be Championship leader Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) down in P12, key rival Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) in P14 and Qatar winner Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia), who ended Day 1 in a difficult P23.

It’s the fastest 14 on the combined times after FP3 who’ll go straight through to Qualifying 2, has Friday decided it or will we see a Saturday morning shuffle? Find out from 9:00 (GMT +2) before qualifying begins from 12:35.

Friday’s fastest:

1 – Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN – Honda) 1’57.467

2 – Kevin Zannoni (ITA – TM) +0.039

3 – Tony Arbolino (ITA – Honda) +0.047

3 – Niccolo Antonelli (ITA – Honda) +0.073

5 – John McPhee (ITA – Honda) +0.181

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

Bumpy opening to the Italian GP for Syahrin and Oliveira

The Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo of Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira experienced a sunny start at the Mugello Circuit in the Tuscan hills today, although they both worked hard to find a decent feeling at the demanding Italian track.

While Malaysian star Syahrin was able to lower his lap time significantly from FP1 to FP2 by 1.361 second, he eventually lost out on the top 10 by 1.226 seconds at the end of the first day. Yet, MotoGP rookie Oliveira put in a lot of work to be 0.956 quicker in just his second session aboard the KTM RC16 at the demanding Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello this afternoon, but still sees room for improvement from tomorrow’s FP3 at 9.55 local time.

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:48.496

Laps: 32

“The first day was quite good overall. We are still a bit behind and try to find the right pace. The team is working really hard and we have a good rhythm, but we need to find some details in order to improve our speed. At the moment, we are a bit worried about the tyre choice in working towards the race, although we didn’t try the hard tyre yet. I hope that I can improve tomorrow and I already feel more confidence step by step. We need to work hard and get better.”

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 23rd

Time: 1:48.914

Laps: 37

“It has been a tough day. On a different track, the first practice is always hard. The team tried to do some changes on the bike to help me, but at the moment it’s really not easy for me to find the good lines on the track and to be faster. We analyze this afternoon what we have to do and improve tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing:

FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE AT MUGELLO

IN VERY CLOSE STANDINGS ALEIX AND ANDREA BATTLE FOR A SPOT IN THE TOP TEN

The first day of practice ahead of the long-awaited GP of Italy at Mugello was characterised by very close standings with all the riders in a very tight group. It is a situation in which just a few tenths of a second, on a long a difficult track like the one in Tuscany, can mean a difference of several positions.

Aleix Espargaró was a protagonist in the morning, finishing FP1 in fifth place with a time of 1’47.812, just 25 hundredths behind leader Marc Márquez. Aleix lapped more than a half a second faster than last year, and in the afternoon session he was even faster, finishing with a time of 1’47.612 but in sixteenth place, although only 88 hundredths from the lead.

Andrea Iannone made a step forward compared to the difficult Le Mans race where he was also limited by problems with his left ankle, fresh from the crash in Jerez. His physical conditions no longer seem to be a worry, and Andrea was able to resume the development path on his RS-GP, improving between the first and second session with a time of 1,47.887 which puts him in nineteenth place and just over one second behind the leader.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“This morning I was able to do a few good laps. The slipstream helped because we know how important that is here at Mugello. In the afternoon, on the other hand, we were unable to make as much progress. We are struggling a bit in mid-turn where the bike tends to slide around, losing the line. The new fairing is certainly an improvement. The bike is more agile, although it generates more aerodynamic load.”

ANDREA IANNONE

“If we look at the position it may seem like a complicated day, but instead I am rather satisfied with the way we worked today. We are one second behind the leaders, the new fairing let us make a small step forward. We are struggling with rear tyre grip at the moment, in the sense that, when we have too much, the bike pushes in braking and we are unable to slow down as we would like. We have a rather clear idea, but we need to keep working non-stop.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez sixth as sunny Italian GP commences

Less than half a second split the top nine on the opening day of practice, Marquez amongst the top ten in sixth and Lorenzo looking for more tomorrow.

Yesterday’s clouds were nowhere to be seen as the Repsol Honda Team rolled out of the garage for Free Practice 1. Overcoming the final remnants of a post-French GP cold, MotoGP World Championship leader Marc Marquez set the pace from early in FP1.

Temperatures rose slightly to 23°C ambient and 45°C on track for Free Practice 2, with the pace at front quickening alongside it. Improving to a 1’47.062, half a second faster than FP1, Marquez concluded the day sixth fastest – 0.330s from Bagnaia. Marquez and his team are pleased with progress made having spent the day focusing on solutions for Sunday’s race.

Jorge Lorenzo spent Friday practice at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley with one eye looking towards Saturday and electing to save his softer tyres. Less than a second off his teammate in FP1, Lorenzo was outside of the top 15. The times remained close in FP2 and despite improving his lap time around the Mugello Circuit, Jorge Lorenzo concluded the day 20th.

Tomorrow, Saturday, June 01, is when the one lap pace matters most as the grid for the 23-lap Italian Grand Prix is decided. The day commences at 09:55 local time with Free Practice 3, deciding the ten riders who advance automatically to Q2.

Marc Marquez

6TH 1’47.062

“Today we worked just with the tyres for the race. I am still a little bit sick from yesterday and also the bike wasn’t 100% either, hopefully a good night’s rest will help us both to be back at 100% tomorrow! Even like this we aren’t far and we just need to keep pushing tomorrow. It’s Friday and we didn’t put a new tyre in at the end so we are still feeling good.”

Jorge Lorenzo

20TH 1’48.114

“Of course we can’t be happy with 20th, it’s not a good position to be in. But today at the end of FP2 everyone fitted the soft and I stayed working with the harder tyre because I feel we will be able to profit more tomorrow morning. My pace is not so far from everyone else but we still need to improve our one lap pace a bit. I think we could have been top ten with a new tyre. Tomorrow we will see.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Quartararo second fastest on Day 1 at Mugello

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider is fast again on the opening day of the Italian GP. Franco Morbidelli rounds off Friday inside the top ten.

2nd FABIO QUARTARARO +0.046

10th FRANCO MORBIDELLI +0.536

Fabio Quartararo had an excellent first day at Mugello, with the Frenchman finishing the opening day of practice for the Italian GP with the second fastest time in the premier class, less than a tenth of a second off the top spot. PETRONAS Yamaha SRT team-mate Franco Morbidelli, riding at his home GP this weekend, closed Friday in 10th place, as both riders occupied provisional spots in Saturday’s Q2 session.

The weekend started in positive style for Quartararo, whose 1min 47.811secs time – running an intermediate tyre in his final stint – took him to fourth in FP1. Morbidelli was 15th with a time of 1min 48.421secs, less than one second slower than the early pacesetter.

In FP2, lap times were lowered considerably compared to those set in the morning. Both PETRONAS Yamaha SRT riders dedicated the first half of the session to working on their race pace, before mounting new tyres for an attempt a flying lap in the final stretch. Quartararo was once again one of the strongest riders, taking over a second off his previous best time for a 1min 46.778secs and finishing second. Morbidelli also managed to make provisional cut for Q2, thanks to his 1min 47.268secs lap on his penultimate attempt.

Quartararo and Morbidelli have two further Free Practice sessions tomorrow before Qualifying, which will be held at 2:10pm (Q1) and 2:35pm (Q2) local time.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“I felt pretty good today. We had some difficulties and we didn’t have the speed we were hoping for, but we were able to improve during the day and be fast enough to get into the top ten. Our pace wasn’t bad but, of course, we are going to try to evolve in that aspect too. We have some things that we want to try out tomorrow for that. We have to keep working to improve the setup, but so far everything is going quite well.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“This track is incredible. I’m enjoying myself a lot on this bike. I feel good under braking and the bike turns really well, so I’m making the most of this and I will do my best to be as fast as possible. I think it’s the first time I have enjoyed myself in this way at this track. We need to review the data but I think that it will be really difficult to get onto the front row of the grid here, because there are many riders whose times are close together. Tomorrow we will continue working on the tyre choice for the race and we will try to have a good qualifying session.”

More, from a press release issued by Mission Winnow Ducati:

Italian GP: Petrucci 3rd in Friday’s free practice. Dovizioso 11th, Pirro 13th as a wild-card at Mugello

The Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action today at Mugello Circuit for the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix, sixth round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship and home race for the Italian manufacturer. In two free-practice sessions, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso worked as usual on the race setup, posting respectively the third (+0.131) and eleventh (+0.615) time in a classification characterized by particularly narrow gaps, with 18 riders within less than one second, headed by rookie Francesco Bagnaia on the Desmosedici GP of the Pramac Racing Team. Official test rider Michele Pirro also joined the action as a wild-card, posting the 13th time (+0.689).

Second in the morning session, Petrucci improved his lap times by over nine tenths of a second in FP2, clocking his personal best in 1:46.863. Dovizioso also made steps forward despite still not being completely satisfied with the feeling on the bike, taking almost one second off his best time in the afternoon with a 1:47.347. Pirro, on track with a third Desmosedici GP19 fielded by the Mission Winnow Ducati team, finished the day with a personal best of 1:47.421.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:46.863 (3rd)

“Today the feeling with the bike was quite good, even though I’m not in perfect shape physically since I have a cold. Both sessions went quite well, even though the track doesn’t have much grip at the moment, to the point that you don’t feel a big difference even with a new soft rear tyre. So far, I’m still losing some time in the final sector, where I struggle to make the bike turn as I’d want to and I still can’t pick the lines I’d like to in the last corner. This is what we’ll focus on first, analyzing and comparing data. We need to stay focused and get ready for a fight during qualifying, because we’re all close at the top. Our goal is to fight for pole position, or the first two rows at least.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:47.347 (11th)

“All in all, we’re actually not that far. I still haven’t found the best feeling with my Desmosedici GP, even though we’re quite competitive in terms of race pace. During FP2 we tried and compared two quite different setups, both with positives and negatives, so now we need to be smart putting together all the data to find the best possible compromise. As we were expecting, compared with recent years, there are more fast riders who can fight at the top and some of our advantages perhaps are not that obvious anymore, but we’ve just started and I’m confident that working methodically, as we always do, we’ll be in the mix both during qualifying and the race.”

Michele Pirro (#51 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:47.421 (13th)

“It’s been a bit of a strange day, because in the morning I was fast despite not being able to clock many laps, while in the afternoon track conditions changed a bit and I couldn’t improve my lap times enough to finish within the top ten. We need to analyse the data since I was faster on a medium rear tyre, with which I felt competitive and closed FP1 in third position. Now, together with my team, we’ll crunch some data to understand how to improve with softer compounds. I’m confident we’ll make more steps forward tomorrow.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action tomorrow, June 1st, at 09:55 for the third free-practice session with qualifying scheduled to start at 14:10, shortly after FP4.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

 #ItalianGP FP. What a Friday at Mugello. Stunning P1 for Pecco. Jack is very fast but crashes in the time attack

Francesco Bagnaia is the dominator the Mugello’s Friday. The Italian rider gives great satisfaction to Lamborghini Pramac Racing by finishing a spectacular time attack in FP2. Jack is in great shape and after an extremely convincing FP1 he is very strong in FP2 but finds in the time attack some riders who slow down dangerously and crashes.

FP1 (Practice Conditions: Dry. Air 20°. Ground 31°)

P6 Jack Miller (1’47.814, + 0.256 from P1)

Amazing FP1 with six riders in 256 thousandths of a second. Jack is very strong in T4 but he has to find a better feeling in T3 where he loses 2 tenths of a second in his fast lap.

P17 Francesco Bagnaia (1’48.532, +0.318 from Top 10, +0.974 from P1)

Pecco improves lap after lap and is very close to the 10th place of Andrea Dovizioso. The final position is not indicative as in the FP1 there were 18 riders within 1 second.

FP2 (Practice conditions: Dry. Air 23°. Ground 45°)

P1 Francesco Bagnaia (1,46,732)

Pecco’s time attack is fantastic and allows the Italian rider to finish a sensational Friday in P1. Extremely positive news also from the race pace.

P9 Jack Miller (1’47.185, +0.453 from P1)

Jack is also strong in the FP2 and is for most of the session the fastest after Marquez. In the time attack, however, he crashes after having found some riders to hinder his trajectory.

P1 – Pecco Bagnaia

I’m very happy because the work we’re doing is paying off. We have improved in the last races and the feeling was very good already in the FP1. The time attack came well and that’s why I’m satisfied. Tomorrow it will be very important to qualify directly for the Q2.

P9 – Jack Miller

I was going very fast in the time attack but I found some riders who were slowing down and I crashed. I am still very satisfied because the feeling is extremely positive and the race pace is good. Tomorrow I will give my best in FP3 to qualify directly to Q2. I’m confident.

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA TAKE ON FIRST TUSCAN FREE PRACTICE SESSIONS

Scarperia (Italy), 31st May 2019

GRAND PRIX OF ITALY

FREE PRACTICE

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi started the first day at the Autodromo del Mugello, claiming 5th and 18th place respectively in the combined session times.

5th MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’46.973 (FP2) / 17 + 20 LAPS

18th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’47.726 / 18 + 19 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi completed the first Gran Premio d‘Italia Oakley free practice sessions today. Viñales took a little time in the sunny morning but jumped up to 5th position in the combined timesheets in the even hotter afternoon. With the weather forecast being consistently sunny for the weekend, Rossi focused on assessing his bike‘s setting and the tyre combinations, and set the 18th fastest time of the day.

Viñales used the 45-minute morning session with a clear goal in mind. He knew that the track temperatures would rise and bring big changes in terms of tyre decisions. Therefore, the Spaniard used FP1 to get his bike ready for FP2, expecting its conditions to be similar to those in Sunday‘s race. He wrapped up FP1 in 14th place, with a 1‘48.392s lap on his last try, 0.834s from the leading time.

In the afternoon, the number-12 rider went down to business. He used the first half of the session to fine-tune his bike‘s setting and was then quick to ride his YZR-M1 to fourth place in the provisional rankings. He set multiple fast laps as he fought to hold a spot in the top-3. However, every time he got up there, he was pushed down a position and ultimately finished fifth, with a 1‘46.973s lap. Still, the Spaniard underlined how fast his race pace is, as he finished 0.241s from first.

Rossi was happy to greet the local fans under the Tuscan sun in FP1, as he prepared for his first home race of the season. Eager to position himself as a key protagonist for this weekend in front of his home fans, the Doctor tested various settings for his YZR-M1 throughout the morning practice, but he struggled to find good pace. He finished in 12th place with a best lap of 1’48.356s, 0.798s off the fastest time.

The nine-time World Champion’s performance improved slightly in FP2. Encouraged by the loud cheers from the Italian fans, he used the afternoon session to further work on his bike‘s setting. He bettered his personal best lap by 0.630s but didn‘t improve his ranking. He ended the day in 18th place in the FP2 and the combined timesheets, with a fastest lap of 1‘47.726s, 0.994s from the top.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“We already assumed this weekend would start with some difficulties here in Mugello considering the long straight, but we didn’t expect the struggles we experienced in FP1. During FP2 the situation became more normal again, apart from Valentino’s P18, so we need to find out what happened there. We have been fast in sector 1 to 3 and we lost time where we foresaw. Today we were also able to test most of the tyre combinations and we could almost determine which option we’ll use in Sunday’s race. I expect that it will be a long night for our engineers to analyse the data and prepare some solutions so we can improve our performance at both sides of the garage for tomorrow’s FP3 and have both riders in Q2.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“In the afternoon I improved my riding. Just by riding the bike, and by trying to make myself smaller around the whole track, is where I found some time, but still the bike is very difficult, it’s so nervous. I couldn’t ride really well. We need to keep working and try to be better tomorrow. I’m struggling everywhere, so we need to improve and work in a good way if we want to fight for the race. Getting a first or second row for tomorrow will be very important. It’s such a long track, so you need to start at the front.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“It was a difficult day, I expected to be more competitive, but already from this morning I wasn’t very fast. I wasn’t feeling very well, and I wasn’t able to ride in a very good way. In fact, my position is quite bad, so we have to improve. This afternoon we tried the hard tyres, but the pace isn’t fantastic. We need to improve in other areas than just top speed, because the other Yamahas are quite fast.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

MUGELLO’S ROLLING HILLS PRODUCE TIGHT TIMES ON DAY 1

Alex Rins: 7th – 1:47.167 (+ 0.435)

Joan Mir: 15th – 1:47.579 (+ 0.847)

• Alex Rins confident as he clocks top speed.

•Joan Mir learning the feel of Mugello.

•Team ready to push on Saturday.

The legendary circuit of Mugello welcomed the riders for Friday morning’s FP1, and they were rewarded with an incredibly tight session where the top 18 riders were covered by less than one second. Rins placed 11th at the end of FP1, just 0.671 from the top. Debutant Joan Mir was learning the fast curves of the Italian track on his GSX-RR and he closed the session in 19th place.

The tight times continued in the afternoon’s FP2 session, which also saw the top 18 covered by a second. After using the majority of the session to adjust settings, including trying different tyre options, both Rins and Mir showed some good form, improving on their morning lap times. Alex took the flag in 7th, 0.435 from the top, he was the fastest rider through sector 3 and the second fastest through sector 4. Joan closed Friday in 15th and was 0.847 off.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Overall it’s been a good start to the weekend, Alex is already in the Top 10 and we worked well today – there’s still room for improvement, but we’re happy with this start. Joan also had a pretty good day, his speed is good but we’re still working on the last sector, we’ll try and improve the bike and hope for good results tomorrow.”

Alex Rins

“Today went well, and I’m provisionally in Q2. I tried some tyres today and I found that I liked both the hard and the medium front. I’m not doing anything differently to Le Mans, but I feel much better here, and my times are better. Setting the fast lap was exciting, I was behind Dovizioso on that lap, and it was nice to get 350 kilometres per hour. Compared to last year we’ve improved on top speed, but also in other areas such as cornering.”

Joan Mir

“I’m pleased with the work done today; I’ve improved a lot. We’ve approached this first day in a calm way, just learning and understanding the best lines and the best way with the bike. I’m losing around six tenths in the last sector, so if we can improve that part of the track then I’ll be able to fight near the front. My aim is to get directly into Q2 tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

TAKA TARGETS QUALIFYING IMPROVEMENT IN ITALY

Takaaki Nakagami endured a mixed opening day at the Italian Grand aboard his LCR Honda IDEMITSU RCV. The Japanese rider enjoyed a good start as free practice got underway at scenic Mugello but finished the day down in 14th position on the timesheets, leaving himself work to do in Saturday’s qualifying.

Nakagami again demonstrated his increased confidence and stature in the premier class this season as he went seventh fastest in the morning’s FP1 session. However, as the track heated up under sunny skies, he struggled to maintain his rhythm in FP2 and was unable to find a lap time to crack the top 10. Taka remains confident, though, and is still targeting a place on the front three rows of the grid.

Takaaki Nakagami – 14th

(1’47.483 – lap 17 of 19)

“It’s difficult to say what tomorrow will bring, because today was a bit of a struggle, especially this afternoon. FP1 in the morning was ok, but when the track temperature rises it’s a bit of a struggle to find the grip and also our strategy was to use the soft tyre to find a lap time, but I made a little mistake. So we’ll try to be strong tomorrow, I think it will be very important to make a lap time in FP3 and try to get into the top 10. If we can get into Q2, our target will be to get on to the third row, so that’s what I’ll be aiming for.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

CRUTCHLOW SATISFIED AFTER DAY ONE AT MUGELLO

Cal Crutchlow ended the opening day of free practice at the Italian Grand Prix in eighth position under sunny skies at Mugello. The Briton riding the LCR Flex-box branded RC213V produced a consistent display to ensure he is well-placed ahead of Saturday’s qualifying.

Crutchlow was ninth fastest during the morning FP1 session, but found almost a second of improvement as temperatures rose during FP2 in the afternoon. While he feels there is still plenty of progress to be made on the set-up of his bike, the 33-year-old was satisfied to claim a place in the top 10 after a session that saw numerous late changes to the order.

Cal Crutchlow – 8th

(1’47.170 – lap 15 of 17)

“It wasn’t a bad day to be honest. I feel not too bad with the bike, but I don’t feel fantastic and there are still a lot of areas to improve on. That’s the main thing for tomorrow, we need to improve the feeling of the front of the bike and also we need to look for a bit more speed. Yes, in the straight, but also around the lap – we need two or three tenths a lap, the same as what I needed in Le Mans. Overall, although we’re disappointed in one way to be in eighth, we have to be pleased to be in the top 10 because that’s where we need to be, especially as there were a few surprises in the session (FP2) about who was up there.”