A good start to the Indian GP for Marc Márquez and Joan Mir sees them place fourth and tenth, respectively
The Buddh International Circuit hosted the first day of action for the Indian Grand Prix on Friday, in dry conditions and high temperatures.
Marc Márquez rounded off another Friday as one of the ten fastest riders of the day. The Repsol Honda Team man clocked a 1:45.117 for fourth overall, meaning he does not have to go through Q1. Márquez will compete directly in the session that will define the starting grid for both the sprint race and Sunday’s race itself.
The first qualifying session on Saturday was also avoided by Joan Mir. The Repsol Honda Team rider went straight into Q2 for the first time this year, thanks to a best time 1:45.332, putting him tenth.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday at 8.15h (CEST), with the 12-lap sprint race at 12h (CEST)
MARC MÁRQUEZ – 4th 1’45.117
“When we arrive at a new track it’s true that I am able to quickly find the limit of the track. From FP1 I was there and in FP2 we were able to stay there even if we lost a little bit of margin as the overall grip came up. But finally, we were able to get a spot in Q2, which is the target, but I think many riders will make a step tomorrow. The front three rows of the grid and the objective for tomorrow and then let’s see what happens in the Sprint. The heat here is different to at other tracks but I don’t think it will be a big issue for tomorrow, for the long race on Sunday we will have to see.”
JOAN MIR – 10th 1’45.332
“In terms of result it’s my best Friday of the season, so we have to be happy! In terms of feeling it was even better and I felt good from the morning session which makes everything a bit easier. We spent the day working on details like the gear ratio today, the normal things when you come to a new track. Then in Free Practice we made another step forward to keep pace with other riders. I am really happy to go directly to Q2 because the lap we did was not perfect, so for tomorrow we have some margin to improve in qualifying.”
