FIM MotoGP World Championship
Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina
April 7, 2018
Qualifying Session Two (wet to drying conditions, all on Michelin tires):
1. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:47.153
2. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:47.330
3. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:47.365
4. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:47.681
5. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:47.743
6. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:47.754
7. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:47.845
8. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:48.247
9. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:49.044
10. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:49.044
11. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:49.326
12. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:49.975
Qualifying Session One (wet conditions, all on Michelin tires):
1. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:49.128
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:49.518
3. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:49.878
4. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 1:50.063
5. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:50.175
6. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:50.324
7. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:50.324
8. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:50.449
9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:50.606
10. Tom Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:50.833
11. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:51.007
12. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), 1:51.012
13. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:51.142
14. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:51.387
More, from a press release issue by Dorna:
The Australian produces a stunning lap on slicks to beat Pedrosa as the order takes a big shuffle
Jack Miller’s (Alma Pramac Racing) huge gamble to switch to slicks on a drying track for the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina certainly paid off, with the Australian snatching a jawdropping maiden MotoGP™ pole position off Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa on his final lap. In doing so, Miller became the first ever Ducati Independent Team rider to secure pole position.
Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was 0.212 seconds off the Australian’s time to put himself third on the grid and impress once again, with the Frenchman now having taken an incredible six front row starts in a row.
After impressing all weekend, Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) will launch from fourth – his best premier class qualifying by some margin and on for a provisional front row until the end of the session. Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Alex Rins lines up fifth after another impressive performance, while Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) couldn’t convert his superior Free Practice pace into pole and the reigning World Champion starts sixth. Initially heading out on his second run to gamble on slicks, the number 93 gave it one lap before coming back in to switch back to wets. “Too much risk,” says a rider thinking of the Championship.
Q1 graduate Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) – who was the early pace setter in Q2 after eclipsing the Ducatis – heads up the third row of the grid in seventh. Meanwhile Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) starts eighth on the grid after progressing through from Q1 and is fairly satisfied with the result, with 2017 winner Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) lining up alongside the Italian in ninth.
After looking strong all weekend, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) will aim to pick off some of the riders in front of him on Sunday when he shoots from tenth – another rider to initially gamble on slicks before heading back in. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) couldn’t give the Termas de Rio Hondo grandstands a dream Saturday as he qualified in P11 but just 0.022 back from Crutchlow, with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) starting P12.
A breathtaking MotoGP™ qualifying session left the Ducatis of Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), who qualified P14, and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) – who ended the day P18 – with plenty of work to do. Which three riders will you choose in your MotoGP™ League?
An unfamiliar looking grid sets us up for a spectacular race at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, as the lights go out at 15:00 (GMT -3) for the premier class boys to do battle.
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Fabulous front row start for Zarco – Syahrin prepared to launch Argentinean attack
Monster Yamaha Tech3 star Johann Zarco displayed a tactically impressive qualifying performance today in Termas de Río Hondo. With a perfectly timed fast lap towards the end of the second qualifying the Frenchman, who was the best Yamaha rider again today, played his cards excellently on rain tyres to secure the third position and with it his sixth front row start in succession.
Meanwhile, Hafizh Syahrin did well during FP3 and quickly found himself on ease, although the premier class rookie was struggling in Q1, finding it hard to judge the grip level on the half wet and half dry tarmac. The Malaysian will have to tackle the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina from the eighth row of the grid when the red lights go out tomorrow at 15:00 local time for the second race in 2018.
Johann Zarco
Position: 3rd – Time: 1’47.365 – Laps: 7
“I had the two bikes ready for the time attack, one with slicks and one with rain tyres. I saw the guys going out with slicks, but corner seven and eight were just too wet, so it was complicated. I tried to wait and see the sectors how Jack (Miller) was going and I had to decide quickly before it was too late. I chose the rain tyres, because I knew I felt more comfortable, even if it’s drying out. I was pushing a lot, it’s a good place. I didn’t think it was possible for me to do the same on slicks like Jack did. I’m happy. It’s another opportunity to start well tomorrow and even with the difficult conditions during the sessions, I hope we have enough information to prepare the warm up and be ready for the race.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 23rd – Time: 1’51.142 – Laps: 8
“For me it’s quite hard to adapt myself on the big machine in this kind of conditions. This morning I had a very good pace and a great feeling with the bike, but we tried to change some small things to improve, but finally, my sensation for the grip was not as positive as before. I tried hard to lower my lap time, but I was missing the right feeling. The race tomorrow is for sure not going to be easy, nevertheless I’ll give my best to try to end up as the best rookie.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Unsettled weather makes for difficult qualifying in Argentina
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi battled damp and slippery track conditions in qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix Argentina.
Swiss rider Lüthi will start the 25-lap race from 20th on the grid having made an impressive gain of two seconds over his best time in the wet FP4 session.
Morbidelli will start from 22nd after suffering a lack of rear grip in conditions that made the timing of tyre choice crucial.
The conditions in qualifying were a difficult challenge for the two MotoGP rookies, with a damp but drying track still requiring wet weather tyres despite the absence of rain.
Grip was at a premium on the narrow racing line on the 4.8km Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit and both riders suffered with a lack of traction in slippery conditions.
Tom Lüthi: 20th – 1’50.833
“The conditions today were a new experience for me so it was not easy to find a comfortable feeling, it was neither a full wet nor a full dry track but I found a good rhythm by the end of qualifying. The race will be interesting especially if it is dry because we don’t have a lot of dry track time here. I’m ready for anything and looking to improve my position in the race.”
Franco Morbidelli: 22nd – 1’51.012
“I am not happy, we used the wrong tyres for qualifying and I was not fast. It was a pity because I had good pace in FP4. In qualifying I was missing a lot of rear grip with spinning so we need to improve this for the race. Depending on the weather the set-up and tyre choice for the race could be a gamble and my focus will be just to recover as many positions a possible.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Qualifying in these conditions was never going to be easy especially for two riders new to MotoGP. Both struggled with rear grip on a slippery track so we need to analyse all the data overnight to find a better set-up for the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
A GREAT ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IS FIRST IN Q1 AND RIDES THE APRILIA RS-GP JUST SHORT OF THE BEST, TOMORROW HE WILL START ON THE THIRD ROW
SCOTT REDDING ALSO DID WELL IN QUALIFYING THANKS TO A GOOD FEELING IN THE VARIOUS ASPHALT CONDITIONS
Changing weather characterised the qualifying day on the Termas de Rio Hondo track. In these conditions, which are always difficult, Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia RS-GP into the spotlight. With a great Q1 session (first place for him), he earned passage into Q2, the session that decides the first twelve spots on the grid. Having gone through the first session, Aleix only had one new rear tyre available for the decisive session, but he still took full advantage of it, earning a nice seventh place and the first spot on the third row of the grid. After trying some changes to the settings today which gave him a good feeling with his Aprilia, Espargaró is optimistic for the race tomorrow.
Scott Redding also demonstrated good confidence, especially on the wet track, in terms of race pace and performance. In first qualifying session, with the asphalt in mixed conditions, the British rider battled for a spot in Q2. Unfortunately, the rising temperature of his wet tyres kept him from shaving of the few tenths he needed to get into the top 12. Scott, who is still suffering with a backache, will start from the fifth row tomorrow.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“I am obviously pleased. After the work we did, with a lot of changes, the bike is working much better than yesterday, so in Q1 I felt good even in those track conditions. And I am convinced that if I had been able to use a new tyre for the finale, I would have easily been able to battle for the pole or for the front row. But since I did Q1, I didn’t have another tyre and these rain tyres heat up easily when the track dries out. So I was forced to alternate a fast lap with a slow lap to cool them down. But that’s fine; it’s part of racing and the third row is a nice starting place for the race tomorrow. The Aprilia is a bike that conserves the rear tyre well and it has a lot of grip even in the race finale. I like the track and tomorrow in the race we will be able to bring home a good result.”
SCOTT REDDING
“I feel good on the RS-GP in the various conditions that we found here in Argentina. Especially in the rain, but also in the dry, I am rather satisfied with our settings. I would have liked to have worked a bit more with the dry track to remove some doubt about tyre choice. In mixed conditions I usually struggle a lot with tyre temperature, whereas I must say that with this bike the problem was significantly less evident. Unfortunately, this morning the pain in my back was really bad. I preferred waiting until the afternoon to use the pain killers and suffer less in qualifying. The pain is moving downward. I don’t know if that is good or bad, but I am working on being in the best possible condition tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Avintia Reale Racing:
Second row start for Tito Rabat and Reale Avintia Racing in Argentina
MotoGP GP of Argentina – Termas de Río Hondo
In qualifying for the Grand Prix of Argentina, Reale Avintia Racing team rider Tito Rabat achieved his best position since his debut in MotoGP. After going straight to Q2 with a blistering fourth fastest lap in free practice on Friday, the former Moto2 World Champion repeated his fourth place when it counted for the starting grid. He will now start from the second row of the grid alongside fellow Spaniards Álex Rins and Marc Márquez.
The track conditions today were tricky, with many damp patches and low grip, so neither the wet or the dry Michelin tyres were an ideal choice. Nevertheless, Rabat was fast both in dry and in mixed conditions and feels he is ready to race whatever the weather conditions will be.
Today was also a great day for Xavier Simeon. The Reale Avintia rider was the best ‘rookie’ in qualifying in conditions that were especially difficult for a rider with not much experience in MotoGP. Simeon will now start from 17th place of the grid ahead of the other rookies in the premier class. He hopes to be able to hold them at bay in the race and take his first ever points in the MotoGP championship.
Tito Rabat | 1’47.365 | P4
“We were close to finish on the front row, but even fourth place is much more than I expected. I’m very happy with the Ducati, with the team and right now things couldn’t be better. We had two great days here and I almost can’t believe what we achieved. But the race is on Sunday, we must keep our feet on the ground and stay focused in order to do as well as today and yesterday. Tonight I have to relax and think about the race. It’s good that we went fast in dry and also in wet conditions, so we are ready for whatever the weather will bring.”
Xavier Simeon | 1’50.364 | P17
“It has been a strange day, but in the end it has been positive. We were able to make this step forward that we were hoping to do since I started riding this bike. The feelings today on the bike have been very good, but we didn’t manage to go to Q2. Nevertheless I’m very happy with my feeling in wet conditions. Tomorrow I’ll try to enjoy riding the same way I have done during this weekend so far, regardless of the weather conditions.”
More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Racing:
ÁNGEL NIETO TEAM SO CLOSE TO Q2
Álvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham narrowly miss out on second qualifying shot
Jack Miller took pole position on an historic day in Argentina, the Australian becoming the first rider to do so on an Independent team Ducati. Miller’s lap came on his final attempt, edging out Dani Pedrosa and Johann Zarco, who complete the front row. Andrea Dovizioso, winner of the opening round in Qatar, will start from eighth place with nearest championship rival Marc Márquez in sixth.
The Ángel Nieto Team came within touching distance of Q2 on two occasions today, firstly with Álvaro Bautista, who was just 0.050 seconds shy in free practice yesterday and then today in Q1 with Karel Abraham, who qualified thirteenth. The Czech rider ended up the fastest of the pair, clocking a 1’49.878 that left him just three tenths shy of a Q2 appearance, and he was happy with a result if a little frustrated with a small issue that prevented him from lapping quicker. His teammate Álvaro Bautista will start from nineteenth on the grid despite ending today’s first free practice in third place, ahead of Abraham in fourth.
12+1 Karel Abraham 1:49.878: “I am quite happy, we are thirteenth but of course I am also a little angry because I think we could be inside the top twelve for sure. We had a little issue with Petrucci on the last lap because he was in front of me and he ran wide. I also had some problems with the rear locking on corner entry. Maybe that cost us the couple of tenths to get into Q2 but it’s okay because I felt quite confident on track with the bike. Tomorrow we will see, we had some problems in the dry yesterday but we have a good position to make a good start and get away from some riders and finish in the points. The top ten is always difficult, even more so this year than last year, but we will keep fighting.”
19th Álvaro Bautista 1:50.606: “The conditions were strange today. Normally we struggle in mixed conditions but today I felt comfortable. It is strange because in the dry the wet tyres overheat and slide around a lot. But today in the dry sections the tyres were grippy and with a softer tyre for sure I would have had a better feeling. FP4 in the wet wasn’t bad, but then it started to dry a little, not enough, and we struggled more in qualifying. With the same conditions as this morning it could have been better. We’ll have to see how thing are tomorrow with the weather and conditions and try to get the best out of what we have.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Dani Pedrosa second fastest in Argentina with Marc Marquez on second row
Mixed weather conditions with cold temperatures and intermittent rain showers on day 2 of the Grand Prix of Argentina saw Dani Pedrosa setting the second fastest lap time on a wet-but-drying Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo track, the Repsol Honda rider earning a brilliant front row start for tomorrow’s race.
Marc Marquez was the quickest rider in FP3 and FP4 but had to settle for a second-row start following a hectic qualifying session which saw him finishing in sixth place. However, his blistering pace in dry and wet conditions alike makes him confident for tomorrow’s 3:00 p.m. MotoGP race, regardless of weather conditions.
Dani Pedrosa 26
2ND 1’47.330
“What a qualifying session. It was very tight and challenging with the mixed conditions. Once the rain stopped the track started to dry pretty quickly, and at a certain point there was a dry line. The problem was that turn 7 was completely wet, and then the final corner was pretty damp as well. Jack (Miller) made an incredible pole on slicks. After my first exit, which wasn’t perfect, I considered switching to slicks as well. In the end, I decided to stay with rain tyres and to try and push to the limit. I did a good lap and I’m very happy with the result, because being on the front row is important for tomorrow. Honestly, it’s difficult at the moment to know what tyre choice we’ll make for the race as conditions have changed so much over the weekend. So we’ll wait and see how the weather will be tomorrow, looking forward to a good race either way.”
Marc Marquez 93
6TH 1’47.754
“Today was quite challenging but very positive as a whole. Qualifying didn’t go as expected but we are not that far. I struggled a bit in my first exit on rain tyres and I don’t know why, because in FP3 and FP4 I had a very good feeling. I decided to try the slick tyres but it was too risky. As soon as I exited the pit I realised that if I touched the wet side of the track the risk of crashing was great. When I passed turn seven and eight I started thinking that pole position is important but that the race is tomorrow, so I came back. It’s a pity we’re not on the front row but I’m happy because I think we’ve worked well this weekend. Yesterday on the dry we’ve been competitive and we’ve been fast today on the wet also. I prefer dry conditions for the race but we’re also ready in case it rains. We’ll see how the weather is tomorrow and what the track conditions are like, then go from there.”
More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:
#ArgentinaGP Quali. Historic first Pole Position for Jack Miller and Alma Pramac Racing
“I want to congratulate Jack. He had great courage”. That’s how Danilo Petrucci wanted to celebrate the extraordinary Pole Position of his teammate.
This is an historic day for Alma Pramac Racing at the Termas de Rio Hondo, in Argentina. Jack Miller catches his career-first Pole Position in MotoGP. And it is also the first Pole Position for Alma Pramac Racing since the team joined the Ducati family in 2005.
Jack has made a real masterpiece. After two laps with rain tyres, the Australian rider had the courage to return immediately to the pits asking to go back on track with slicks. This allowed him to make five laps, becoming more and more confident corner after corner on a circuit that was still not dry, especially in the third sector. On the last lap available Jack pushed to the maximum, conquering an extraordinary Pole Position that once again brought Alma Pramac Racing to the Parc Ferme after Danilo Petrucci’s front row in Qatar.
Petrux had to deal with a difficult qualifying. During the FP3 in wet conditions the feeling of the Italian rider has improved (5th lap-time) compared to Friday. But when the track started to dry in Q1, Danilo returned to experience grip problems. Petrux will have to make a strong comeback tomorrow starting from P18.
18th Danilo Petrucci – 1’50.449
“It’s a difficult weekend for me. We have problems to make the tyres working well. We worked a lot with the team and today things have improved a bit. But I have to admit that the feeling is not the best. Tomorrow I’ll start behind him and it will be difficult but I’m sure I can get to the top 10. Congratulations to Jack. He did something great”.
1st Jack Miller – 1’47.153
“It is a great satisfaction and for this I want to thank the team that did a great job both during the winter tests and during these first two race weekends. I felt confident to try to get back on track with slick tyres. It was not easy, especially in the two turns that were still wet. I thought, It’s time to go all-in. It was the right choice that’s why I’m really very happy”.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
DEMANDING DAY FOR NAKAGAMI IN ARGENTINA
Intermittent rain at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina made for a difficult qualifying day for LCR Honda IDEMITSU’s rookie Taka Nakagami. In just his second event in the MotoGP class, the Japanese rider had to contend with a track which was never completely wet, nor completely dry, throwing his positive work from day one into the trash.
Unable to get a feel for the tricky surface, Nakagami brought his Honda home in 24th position on the grid, and will have to work hard to get into the points at the South American venue.
Takaaki Nakagami– 24th
(1’51.387 – lap 8 of 8)
“I’m disappointed about my result today, it was a really tricky day on the track and conditions were difficult. I felt good in the wet conditions, but when it was becoming dry I struggled a little bit on the exits of the corners.
“It was very hard for me to understand the Michelin tyre for the rain as it was the first time I’d used it, but after the session we talked with a Michelin engineer and they explained how to use it. But for the future it was a really good experience for me and I will of course try my best for the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
3RD AND 4TH ROW FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA AFTER TOUGH TERMAS DE RÍO HONDO QUALIFYING
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi soldiered on during a wet second day at the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit. They secured a 9th and 11th starting position respectively for tomorrow’s Gran Premio de la República Argentina.
Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina), 7th April 2018
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi qualified in 9th and 11th position on the grid for tomorrow’s Gran Premio de la República Argentina.
Viñales didn‘t waste any time to commence the 15-minute shoot-out. He was fast to leave the team‘s pit box as he had planned on making a firm challenge for the front rows. However, it soon became clear that the mixed track conditions caused him to struggle to find grip, putting a damper on his time-attack efforts.
Opting for staying out on wet tyres throughout Q2, the Spaniard completed eight laps in total. His best time was set on his very last try, when he posted a 1’49.044s for ninth place, 1.891s from first.
Rossi also quickly headed out of pit lane at the start of the qualifying session, hoping to find clear space on track. However, the nine-time World Champion had the same non-stop strategy as his teammate and shared a similar experience, as he was unable to find a good feeling.
The treacherous conditions caused the Italian rider to run wide when he was on route for a hot lap, which led him to lose time and he got pushed back to twelfth place. But, not one to be defeated easily, he responded by picking up one place on his final attempt. He set a 1’49.326s for 11th position, 2.173s from the front.
Today’s qualifying results will see Viñales and Rossi start tomorrow‘s race from the third and fourth row of the grid. Tomorrow the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates will continue the action at 10:40 – 11:00 (local track time, GMT-3) in the morning warm-up session, followed by the race at 15:00.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Today’s conditions were challenging, though the rain was not unexpected. It was important for the team to use the FP3 and FP4 sessions to try out some further set-up changes in the wet. Unfortunately, the track conditions were quite mixed, making the tyre choice a gamble as parts of the track were dry, others were completely wet, and some corners had damp patches. For this reason neither of our riders felt good on the bike and both experienced the same issues they encountered before. Maverick and Valentino qualified on the third and fourth row respectively. For sure, we still have work to do, especially under these circumstances. We expect tomorrow to be dry but, regardless of the weather, it will be a hard race. We aim to make another step in the warm-up tomorrow morning.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
Today was difficult. We always suffer in the wet and at the moment we are not on the same level as our main rivals. We have to keep working on the bike’s set-up and keep improving in the wet. We have work to do during this season, in order to be strong – but I know we can improve a lot, so we will just continue to work on improving the grip level, to be more competitive, and we’ll see tomorrow. We’ll hope for a dry race, that would suit us much better.
VALENTINO ROSSI
It was a difficult day for me, because in these conditions – when you have to go out on the wet tyre, but the asphalt is becoming dry – I’m in a lot of trouble. I can’t push, because every time I try to push more I feel the front close. At the end of the qualifying I tried to do a smooth lap, I was able to improve my time, but anyway it was not enough to be with the top guys. We have to work, but especially we have to hope that tomorrow will be full dry or full wet, because then I feel quite comfortable, but in these half-and-half conditions it will be very difficult. My preference is full dry, for sure, because for me with the full dry I have a good pace to make a good race.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
SECOND ROW FOR RINS IN ARGENTINA’S TRICKY CONDITIONS
Alex Rins: 5th – 1:47.743 (+ 0.590)
Andrea Iannone: 12th – 1:49.975 (+ 2.822)
Saturday’s sessions at Termas de Rio Hondo brought more uncertainty as changeable weather made the track conditions tricky once again.
FP3 and FP4 were wet sessions, which allowed the riders to get a feel for the track and adjust settings ready for the important qualifying session ahead, and both riders found good rhythm, especially in FP4.
After their strong performances on Day 1, Iannone and Rins were directly entered in Q2. This final qualifying session was very difficult with a dry line forming on the track, but some corners remaining very wet. This meant that tyre choice between slick and wet became crucial as the session went on.
Alex Rins, who lost a lap early in the session due to being held up by slowing riders, maintained focus and rhythm and was able to set the provisional pole time, a 1:47.743, with two minutes left on the clock. When the chequered flag went out after some frantic closing moments, the Spaniard held on to a second row start and 5th place – his best MotoGP qualifying result.
Andrea Iannone struggled a bit during Q2, despite good pace during FP4. The Italian eventually closed the session in 12th place with a 1:49.975. In tomorrow morning’s warm-up he will try to find more settings if the session is wet.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Alex did a good job because, of course, the conditions were difficult during qualifying, and he managed to do a very good lap. So we’re happy with this position, tomorrow we can address everything and see if it’s dry or wet, but it looks like we can be competitive in both conditions. Starting from the second row we have to try to stay with the top group and see what happens. Unfortunately, Andrea couldn’t use the qualifying session properly, I think we had the potential to do much better, but he couldn’t get a clear lap. He’ll start from 12th but let’s see. The big question mark will be about the conditions – wet or dry. I think we can try to do a good race with both riders.”
Alex Rins
“I’m very happy because this qualifying position is my best result in MotoGP. And I’m excited because we didn’t expect it in these conditions, it was really difficult to be fast…but we did it, so I’m quite happy! Slicks were impossible because the all of the third sector was very wet. But I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow starting from the second row.”
Andrea Iannone
“Today Alex could go to the limit during qualifying, but when I first left the box with the soft tyre I didn’t have any feeling, so I decided to change and with the medium it was much better, I could go a bit faster, and I was improving. I need to understand some of the strange feelings, where sometimes the bike is moving a lot. We made some improvements, but the others improved incredibly so I suffered a little. Tomorrow we’ll see, it’s a pity to start back on the grid because we have good feelings on this track in ‘normal’ conditions, in the dry. But I think we have a good bike, and we’ll try tomorrow to have a good race.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
RED BULL KTM TO TUSSLE FOR MAXIMUM RACE POINTS AFTER SLIPPERY ARGENTINA QUALIFICATION
QUALIFYING 2nd Rd. MotoGP 2018 – Termas de Río Hondo (ARG)
MotoGP gathered for the second round of nineteen at the slick and pacy layout of Termas de Rio Hondo for the Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina. Qualification saw the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith classify in 16th and 21st positions respectively meaning slots on the sixth and seventh rows of the grid for the 25 lap dash on Sunday.
MotoGP
After a long haul from Europe the majority of the paddock encountered a warm but unstable climate at the circuit over 1000km northwest from Buenos Aires. The KTM duo hovered around the top fifteen in the first Free Practice sessions, and FP3 Saturday morning was a tricky blend of wet and dry conditions with occasional light showers and humidity. Pol Espargaro posted a hot lap towards the end of the period to place a decent 7th and just 1.3 seconds from the fastest effort by world champion Marc Marquez.
Through FP4 and Q1 #44 and #38 maintained their push for drive and traction to harness all the power of the works KTM RC16. Espargaro encountered a technical hitch in FP4 that forced the Spaniard to use his second racebike for the beginning of Q1 and he couldn’t quite grasp the extra tenths of a second to slide into the top bracket as a damp track quickly began to try. Bradley Smith, who was content with his set-up on the RC16, was caught out by the varying track surface.
Espargaro: “It was a crazy day for us. I think it started quite well in the morning with P7 in mixed conditions and I was quite optimistic for qualifying but finally, similar to Qatar, we had an issue in FP4 and had to solve that. We didn’t have our No.1 bike ready for the first run and mechanics did an amazing job to have it ready for the second but we’d used our good front tyre already. We had to use the soft front and eventually finished one second away from my brother. It’s a shame because we did very well this morning and I hope we’d be closer to the top guys and go for Q2 but it was difficult. We hope for better luck for tomorrow.”
Smith: “A frustrating day. I felt that we did a very good job in trying to improve the bike and find some grip but I made the wrong call by staying out on the track and I did not expect it to dry as fast as it did. I overheated the tyre and by the time I looked to come in (to the pits) there were four minutes left so I had to suck-it-and-see. We didn’t try the soft tyre in practice and it might have worked today. Overall a few small frustrating things but in general I’m feeling happy with the bike and I’m happy, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings. We have some ideas, whether it will be wet or dry, but I think the track will be difficult for everyone.”
Sebastian Risse (Technical Director MotoGP): “We’ve had some ups-and-downs so far this weekend. In FP1 we were where we expected to be; around a second away from the top. In FP2 the conditions were difficult and maybe we didn’t change the bike around enough. FP3 – and today generally – we had to be a bit more radical in how we adapted but the plan disappeared when it started raining and we had to start from zero. We made some good steps on the bike after FP3 and felt we had a good package but everybody has the feeling that in FP4 and Qualifying we did not get everything out of the bike and that package, so from that point of a view we are a bit disappointed. Some technical difficulties also disrupted our rhythm but we were able to react. The result is not a disaster and I think we are stronger than how we look at the moment.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CHALLENGING Q2 FOR CRUTCHLOW IN ARGENTINA
Cal Crutchlow endured a frustrating day of qualifying at the Argentina Grand Prix on Saturday as he had to settle for tenth place on the grid. Having gone second fastest on Friday, the LCR Honda CASTROL rider continued to demonstrate his pace at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo in FP3 and FP4 despite rain complicating proceedings in Northern Argentina.
However, having looked set to push for a spot on the front row, Crutchlow came up short in Q2 after the team opted to use a slick tyre for his final push on the drying circuit. The Briton understandably cut an exasperated figure as his excellent form over the weekend only translated to a spot on the fourth row.
Cal Crutchlow – 10th
(1’49.304 – lap 7 of 7)
“I’m disappointed, we should have been on the front row and that’s the bottom line. Of course I’m not happy, we made a tactical mistake as a team, it’s nobody’s fault and I didn’t have to get on the bike. But the problem was when I went back out on the track, I was going really good on my lap, but when I went on to the water on my hot slick it was just too slippery and I lost two seconds – simple as that.
“We tried a risky solution with the slicks and it wasn’t the right one and now we have to accept it. We’re tenth on the grid and disappointed is an understatement as we should have been front row today, there’s no doubt about it as we had the pace to be competitive in both the wet and the dry. The thing that I’m concerned about now, starting from tenth, is that there a lot of guys to pass to win the race and these guys at the front start like rockets.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Row 3 start for Andrea Dovizioso, eighth quickest in qualifying at Termas de Rio Hondo, while Jorge Lorenzo, in 14th, will start the Argentina GP from row 5. Pole goes to Jack Miller with the Pramac Racing Team Ducati
Light rain greeted the MotoGP teams this morning at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit and the weather conditions failed to change much throughout the day. As a result the third free practice session didn’t allow the riders to improve on their times set yesterday and so both Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo had to take part in the early afternoon’s first qualifying session.
The Italian rider was able to go through Q1 with second-quickest time, while Lorenzo had to settle for fourth place, which gave him a row 5 grid slot for tomorrow’s race.
During Q2 all riders went out for their first run with rain tyres on a drying track, which still had a very damp third sector. Dovizioso continued with this solution throughout and set eighth quickest time in 1’48.247, which earned him a place on the third row for the Argentina GP.
Jack Miller powered his way to a spectacular pole position on the Pramac Racing Team Ducati, the Australian taking a big risk by bolting on slicks for his second run, but he mastered the tricky conditions on his Desmosedici GP to grab the quickest time in 1’47.153.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04): 8th (1’48.247)
“Today the situation wasn’t easy at all, because there was drizzle in some parts of the track and the surface was very tricky. This morning we did a good job to work calmly and this afternoon, despite problems with sliding in the curves, I did two good qualifying sessions after using the same rain tyres in Q1 and in Q2, and so I’m happy to start from row 3 tomorrow. With wet conditions my set-up is quite good, but a lot will depend on the amount of water on the track, if it rains tomorrow and it looks like it will. I’m very satisfied with the job my team did, because despite a difficult day yesterday, we were able to really turn the situation round today.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99): 14th (1’50.063)
“It was another difficult day for us. This morning the conditions were very strange, with the track half-dry and half-wet, and we struggled to find a good feeling. In the afternoon, with the track even wetter, we were quite quick and in Q1, when an almost dry line had formed on the track, I was first before returning to the pits. Unfortunately, because of a misunderstanding with my team who put a soft rear on instead of a medium one, I could only improve by half-a-second and that wasn’t enough to go through to Q2. In any case let’s hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, so that I can get the best out of the warm-up and improve the bike for the race.”