Repsol rider leads both practice sessions at Mugello. Oliveira places eighth overall and Rins ninth on first visit to Italian track.
Maverick Viñales wanted to leave behind the disappointment of the German Grand Prix, and he did so immediately in the opening practice sessions at Mugello. Fellow Repsol Moto3 riders Miguel Oliveira and Álex Rins also started the weekend well: The Portuguese was eighth and the Spaniard ninth.
The sun was out and the temperatures were high for the first day of the Italian Grand Prix, giving favourable conditions for the Moto3 riders on their first time out at Mugello. In the morning practice session, Maverick Viñales showed that he was on a mission to put the pain of Sachsenring behind him, placing first. The Repsol rider was a tenth of a second faster than second placed Danny Kent and two tenths quicker than series leader Sandro Cortese. Miguel Oliveira was eleventh and Álex Rins made a slow start to his first run at Mugello, down in twenty-first.
In the afternoon, Viñales again led the way —some hard work in his garage enabling him to improve lap after lap. The Spaniard battled for the top spot with Romano Fenati, who was the first to go round in under two minutes. Viñales was quick to follow, putting in the definitive 1’59.676 lap -0.314 faster than the Italian. Oliveira and Rins’ garage also saw plenty of action as the mechanics worked feverishly, whilst the riders continued to go quicker in the session. Oliveira was eighth, 0.777 down on Viñales, whilst Rins was ninth and 0.823 slower.
Maverick Viñales >> Audio
FP1 – 2:00.430, 16 laps, 84 km.
FP2 – 1:59.676, 16 laps, 84 km.
“Returning to the top is good for us, because it means that we have regained confidence after a not very positive German Grand Prix. We are very strong now and have come back motivated, because we knew that with a bit of hard work we could be at the front again. We are focusing a lot on our chassis, which is where we can get a little ahead of the rest of the field. This track still isn’t well suited to my riding style, because it doesn’t have any hard braking points, but I like it because it is fast and technical. The important thing this weekend is to feel as comfortable as I did three races ago, when I was very strong and always part of the lead group. The race will be similar to Silverstone, ridden in a pack, but if we can squeeze the most out of our chassis and make a good tyre choice we can be very fast.”
Miguel Oliveira >> Audio
FP1 – 2:01.392, 15 laps, 79 km.
FP2 – 2:00.453, 17 laps, 89 km.
“We didn’t start the day as we would have liked, but little by little we made progress. We had some setup problems in the morning, above all with the front end, but these were resolved by the afternoon. I have to improve my lines for tomorrow, as on some corners I feel good and in others I need to go round better —above all it’s just my general cornering. We have to find our way tomorrow, go fast on our own and set the bike up. We need a first or second row start, as it is important to be in front at Mugello.”
Álex Rins >> Audio
FP1 – 2:01.965, 18 laps, 94 km.
FP2 – 2:00.499, 17 laps, 89 km.
“It was a little difficult for us. This is a completely new circuit for us and riding in the heat doesn’t help —although we all have the same conditions to face. It was tricky at the start, but we got our best lap times riding on our own. That means that, despite lacking a little power and making various changes to the bike, I am satisfied with our progress. This is one of the most difficult tracks that we have visited so far. It is very technical and we have to get our top speed up to be able to slipstream —something that is important on the straight.”
