Joan Mir was the twelfth fastest rider on the first day of the Grand Prix of the Americas, with stand-in Stefan Bradl twentieth.
The third round of the 2023 MotoGP season got underway this Friday at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, USA.
Joan Mir made progress during the first two sessions of the day. The Repsol Honda Team rider had a positive P2, leading the way at one point and only missing out on direct access to Q2 by 0.063s.
With a best time of 2:02.904, he finished the first day of the Americas GP in twelfth position.
Stefan Bradl rode at the Circuit of the Americas for the first time in five years, as the substitute rider continued to develop the Honda RC213V in Marc Márquez’ absence. He ended the day twentieth.
Bradl set a best time of 2:04.129, and will also have to go through Q1 on Saturday.
JOAN MIR – 12th 2’02.904
“Today had some potential and I think without the crash at the end, we could have a chance to find half a tenth or so and stay in the top ten. But we didn’t get the chance and this is what it is – it happens in racing. In MotoGP now if you make just a small mistake or are missing something small, you go from sixth to 12th. I am not quite at 100% and this is maybe the most physical track on the calendar, so it is complicated. But tomorrow we have a good possibility of improving tomorrow.”
STEFAN BRADL – 20th 2’.04.129
“I was quite happy with how I was riding today even if I made a mistake at the end of the session. I could have gotten a few more positions if I finished that lap, but anyway it was a good day overall. It’s a really physical track, coming back to racing is always a challenge and here adds an extra element. Fortunately, I have always enjoyed riding here and I was able to improve my feeling quite quickly. Now we need to rest, set our plan for tomorrow and get ready for my first Sprint.”
