The Repsol Honda Team rider is sixth fastest, while Joan Mir finishes nineteenth
Under clear skies and high temperatures, the Mandalika International Street Circuit hosted the first two practice sessions for the Indonesian Grand Prix on Friday.
Marc Márquez made progress from morning to afternoon. During FP1, the Repsol Honda team rider was working with his team to get his bike ready.
In the afternoon session that would decide who went through to Q2, Márquez was able to maintain a steady pace and clock a best time of 1:31.106. That put him sixth, and straight into the session that will establish the grid for the weekend’s races.
Joan Mir had problems in the morning session, as the Repsol Honda team rider worked on the setup of his Honda RC213V, and in the afternoon he crashed during his time attack, preventing him from classifying among the Top 10
Mir set a best time of 1:32.127, putting him 19th and requiring him to compete in Q1 on Saturday.
The Indonesian Grand Prix sprint race will take place on Saturday at 9.00h (CET).
MARC MÁRQUEZ – 6th 1’.31.106
“Today went a bit better than expected, jumping straight to Q2 was above what we thought was possible. Last year I struggled a lot here, but I am already feeling a lot better and I felt comfortable throughout the day. It was a little bit careful after the crash last year and with so many races in a row. The objective for tomorrow is to get the best starting position possible, so let’s see what steps we can make overnight.”
JOAN MIR – 19th 1’32.127
“It was a day of improvements. The base we had this morning wasn’t what we needed but, in the afternoon, we made a step in a good direction. Everything was working better, and I was feeling quite good, especially with used tyres. During my first attempt at a time attack I came across Marc on the track and he had a moment which disturbed my lap. On the second run, I was behind Pecco and there were yellow flags for the first two laps. On the final lap I was doing a good lap, I think good enough for the top ten, but I fell coming into the last sector. It’s a shame but we can fight for more tomorrow.”
