Repsol rider will start Malaysian GP from fifth, one row ahead of eighth placed Álex Rins. Álex Márquez takes twenty-fourth after a light crash when pushing for top ten.
The second day of practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix defined the starting grid for the smallest of the three World Championship categories. Improving their times, Álex Rins and Miguel Oliveira finished sixth and ninth, respectively, in a qualifying session dominated by local rider Zulfhami Khairuddin. The punishment given to Luis Salom for his maneuver in the recent Japanese Grand Prix allows Rins and Oliveira to move up a place on the grid. Álex Márquez will take off from twenty-fourth place after suffering a minor crash when on a hot lap, having being affected by a slower rider.
Already in the third practice session the excellent level of Rins and Oliveira had been demonstrated, as they were second and third fastest respectively, only surpassed by Jonas Folger. The Spaniard stopped the clock at 2’14.629, six tenths down on the German. Álex Márquez has also dropped nearly a second from his time from yesterday and finished fifteenth.
When it came to deciding places on the grid for tomorrow’s race, local hero Zulfhami Khairuddin managed to further intensify the pace, with a lap of 2’13.885. However, neither Oliveira nor Rins could match their morning times. The Portuguese will start from a positive fifth place on the second row of the grid, just ahead of teammate Rins, who set the ninth fastest time and will start eighth, after the penalty applied to Luis Salom. Álex Márquez again must make a comeback to take points, starting from the eighth row in twenty-fourth position.
Miguel Oliveira >> Audio (port)
FP3 – 2:15.011, 13 laps, 72 km.
QP – 2:15.316, 13 laps, 72 km.
“It was a rather difficult day for us, despite having dropped a second from yesterday’s pace. We did a good job with the team and I clocked my fastest lap when on my own, which is important in this class. In qualifying I found it a little more difficult to find my feel, but tomorrow in the warm up we can still improve a few details.”
Álex Rins >> Audio
FP3 – 2:14.629, 15 laps, 83 km.
QP – 2:15.814, 16 laps, 89 km.
“In the morning we worked in a good way and made the most of the session. In the afternoon it was a tougher time, because we had a gearbox issue that meant I had to cut the throttle to change up and down. The good thing is that the problem is already resolved, so I hope to get a good start tomorrow. I don’t think we will have Folger’s pace in the race, but we will try to be up there with the leading riders.”
Álex Márquez >> Audio
FP3 – 2:16.044, 15 laps, 83 km.
QP – 2:16.979, 13 laps, 72 km.
“That was a bit of a difficult day. At the beginning of the afternoon session the track was neither dry nor wet, so we had some doubts about the tyre choice. In the end we went for slicks and they allowed us to gain pace. It was a pity that, when I had been improving lap times and was two tenths off the top, I clipped another rider and fell. The most important thing is that we are prepared for tomorrow’s race, so we will have to get a good start in order to move back into the points and aim for a top ten finish.”
