SAN MARINO GP - Bautista just 0.2 seconds off the top 10
. By Bikeland Staff
Ángel Nieto Team rider starts San Marino GP in fourteenth position, with Karel Abraham 0.7 seconds behind him
The second home Grand Prix of the season for the Italian teams and riders kicked off with a Ducati double at the top of the time sheets, with Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo separated by just 0.160 seconds at the end of two free practice sessions. With 23°C air temperature and 32°C registering on track, conditions were less than ideal and the majority riders improved in the afternoon session, with Cal Crutchlow, Maverick Viñales and Marc Márquez completing the top five behind the Ducati pair. Valentino Rossi, who returns to his home Grand Prix after missing out in 2017 through injury, was eighth fastest.
Álvaro Bautista ended the opening day of the San Marino GP just 0.2 seconds off a top ten position, at a circuit where he has not previously tested on this bike – unlike some of the other teams. The Ángel Nieto Team rider enjoyed a good feeling with the soft front tyre and is confident that he can use it for an assault Q2 tomorrow. His team-mate Karel Abraham finished in 21st position but was just 1.6 seconds off the best time of the day. The Czech rider is already close to his best lap from last year at Misano and feels he is close to the limit, although he is sure to keep pushing tomorrow as he looks for a strong grid position for Sunday’s race.
14th Álvaro Bautista 1:33.183 (39 laps): “I am happy because this morning I set my fastest ever lap at this circuit and improved on it this afternoon. I didn’t feel totally comfortable in the second session, I think because I was on the medium front tyre, because I was more comfortable with the soft this morning. When we went back to the soft it felt like a different motorcycle and I was able to improve the lap time. There are plenty of riders who have ridden here before that look as though they’re struggling more than at other circuits, but that’s just because our references aren’t as fresh as some others. We will try to find more front grip tomorrow to improve a little more but I think with the feeling I had today we can fight to be in Q2, whether that means directly from FP3 or by going through Q1.”
21st Karel Abraham 1:33.878 (32 laps): “The bike is running really well and we are almost on the lap time we set last year. Once again, the next step is the most difficult one and I feel like we are very close to the limit. In any case, I will keep trying my best to improve. We had a couple of problems with the gearbox today and we need to get to the bottom of that. It is also worth noting that we spent the majority of the second session in the top fifteen but we dropped a few positions at the end after trying the medium tyre. I think it is the worst option for us because it gives the least grip and it is hard to make work for a few laps before it warms up.”