Repsol rider takes fourth best time in qualifying. Teammate Alex Marquez will start from seventh.
Under the constant threat of rain at Le Mans, Alex Rins and Alex Marquez took fourth and seventh, respectively, on the grid for the French GP. Pole position went to Maverick Viñales. The results from qualifying today mean that Rins will start from the second row and Marquez the third, with the latter adapting well to a new track.
In the morning, the Repsol riders were able to take advantage of clear skies to practice in the dry, although track temperatures were down to 10ºC. Alex Rins was third fastest, with a time of 1’45.099, whilst Alex Marquez was eleventh and less than a second slower.
In qualifying, Rins and Marquez raised the bar once again. With a time of 1’44.123, the former placed fourth in the session, one of a quartet of riders to go round in under the circuit record (along with Viñales, Miguel Oliveira and Jonas Folger). Alex Marquez completed his great adaption to a new circuit with seventh on the grid.
Alex Rins >> Audio
FP3: 1:45.099, 11 laps, 46 km.
QP: 1:44.123, 15 laps, 63 km.
“We were fourth today, on the second row, which isn’t a bad result. I think that tomorrow the weather forecast is for rain, so what we have done up to now maybe doesn’t count for so much. Viñales is a little faster than us, but we will try to stick with him in the race and, if that is not possible, try to do the best we can. The important thing is to get a good feeling with the bike. This track is an ice rink if it rains, so we will have to use our heads.”
Alex Marquez >> Audio
FP3: 1:45.846, 18 laps, 75 km.
QP: 1:44.320, 18 laps, 75 km.
“It was a rather positive day. In the morning we found a setup that allowed me to ride comfortably. With used tyres I have a good pace, although with fresh rubber I need to make the most of the tyre condition a little more. We knew that we had room for improvement ahead of qualifying, so we made some small changes to the bike and got it right. I improved steadily in the session before taking seventh, which think is a good spot on the grid. We shall see if the weather favours us tomorrow, because we have a good race pace. If it rains, we will try to have a good warmup in order to find a feel for the wet.”
