Portuguese rider clocks fastest time of first day of practice at Aragón, with Álex Rins eighth, Maverick Viñales tenth and Álex Márquez eleventh.
Repsol rider Miguel Oliveira took the best time in a wet day at Aragón. The persistent rainfall greatly affected the first two practice sessions for the latest GP, in which the Portuguese rider was quickest in both. Rins, Viñales and Márquez placed eighth, tenth and eleventh, respectively.
After fierce overnight rain before the Aragón GP weekend, the Moto3 opening session took place in the wet. Miguel Oliveira set a good time in the early going, leading the way with a 2’11.415 lap before the session was brought to a close with a few minutes remaining. Danny Webb had left oil on the track in a crash, and there was not sufficient time to clean the asphalt completely. Oliveira and Álex Rins had crashed after slipping on the oil, before the red flag. Rins was eighth, Viñales tenth and Álex Márquez eleventh.
In the second session, rain fell fiercely and Oliveira was again fastest. It grew ever more difficult to lower lap times, and finally the Repsol rider ended the day as the top man. Viñales was thirteenth in the second session, Álex Márquez fifteenth and Álex Rins twenty-second.
The forecast for tomorrow is similar to today, but things are expected to improve for Sunday.
Maverick Viñales >> Audio
FP1 – 2:14.518, 12 laps, 61 km.
FP2 – 2:18.706, 13 laps, 66 km.
“That was a tricky first day. We worked hard and tried to get a feel for things ahead of qualifying tomorrow. I was riding confidently and we just need to make some chassis adjustments and decide what needs improvement. We will work with the idea that it is going to rain, as everything points to qualifying being in the same conditions and we will have to look for a good grid position. We will try to do things as well as possible”.
Miguel Oliveira >> Audio (port)
FP1 – 2:11.415, 13 laps, 66 km.
FP2 – 2:16.726, 14 laps, 71 km.
“That went better than I thought, as from the beginning the feeling was good. The conditions that we had here today at MotorLand weren’t what we wanted, but we can be happy with the results from the opening day. In the morning we took things slowly and had a positive initial encounter. In the afternoon there was a lot more rain on the track and less grip, but we were able to keep up our pace from the morning. We still have a few technical details to polish up, although I hope that tomorrow we can do that. Maybe we won’t get much faster, but I can certainly feel more comfortable on the bike. Tomorrow we have a lot of work ahead”.
Álex Rins >> Audio
FP1 – 2:14.152, 13 laps, 66 km.
FP2 – 2:19.620, 12 laps, 61 km.
“In the opening session I think we did a good job. We took things with calm and were able to find a good pace, which took us to eighth in the end. In the afternoon we started out positively, although the feeling wasn’t the same after stopping in the pits. Tomorrow I will attempt to pick my pace back up and continue with the planned work schedule for today”.
Álex Márquez >> Audio
FP1 – 2:14.802, 13 laps, 66 km.
FP2 – 2:18.812, 15 laps, 76 km.
“This first day at Alcañiz has been a little difficult, because the conditions haven’t helped us. In the opening session we had a good feeling with the bike and were able to face the afternoon session with confidence. After a first time in the pits we started to have a few problems that impeded our workload, but tomorrow we hope to improve. If it is dry, then all the better”.
