5th in Fp1, 3rd in FP2, Valentino Rossi got off to an even better start this weekend in Austin than he did in Argentina 2 weeks ago, ranking 10th and 6th respectively during the same sessions.
Generally speaking, the good performances of the Yamahas which all appear in the top 10 at the end of this first day are a bit of a pleasant surprise of the day, unlike the poor performance of the official Ducatis.
However, this will need to be confirmed tomorrow, if the rain forecast for the morning allows for this.
Valentino Rossi felt encouraged by his excellent pace setting this morning, and worked on refining his bike's balance in the afternoon, only to lower his head again towards the end of the second 45-minute session. The pressure was high to secure a place in the top 10, but the Doctor controlled the situation and, equipped with 2 soft tires on his YZR-M1, was able to carve out a quiet part of the track to achieve the third best time of the day in 2'04.003, 0.146s behind his teammate.
In his statement, Valentino Rossi declared: “Today it wasn't so bad, especially third position which is very good. I had a good lap, and that's very important to stay in the top 10. We have some problems with the pace, I'm not fantastic with the racing tire. You have to work on the balance of the bike, but for a first day, it's very positive. The weather forecast for tomorrow is grim, but we hope they are wrong. Maybe tomorrow will be sunny, but if it rains, we'll all be starting from scratch. We'll have to try to understand the conditions and find a good setting for the rain, but either way we hope to have a dry race on Sunday."
Furthermore, in his hospitality, the Yamaha rider, a little more assertive than usual, gave one of the reasons for this renewed form of the Yamaha: “We found something about the balance of the bike in Qatar on Sunday morning. From that moment on we were strong, also in the race in Qatar. Since then I have felt quite comfortable on the bike, as Argentina showed. We didn't change much setting-wise, but we performed well. This also applies here for this track. But we need to improve our balance, because with the racing tires I'm not fantastic. I think there are five drivers faster than me. Especially Márquez and Viñales, they are the fastest. But we have a good base. With the soft tires I managed a good lap but it's more difficult with the racing tires. Right now, I'm missing half a second. To fight for the podium, we will have to do better than that. We are working in the right direction. We have a good group of engineers with us this year. But we have missed a lot in the last two years. This is why we need time. The work will continue for a long time. Yes, our bike is not very fast on the straight but we are efficient in other areas. We have become stronger. Engine development has been frozen since the start of the season. We have to live with this situation. On the long straights we can suffer. But we must strive to use our strengths in the corners.”
The M1 works better… and the driver too!
“Yes, I am in better shape because I can run more. I couldn't do it last winter because my legs still hurt after the Enduro accident in September. So I could only train with a motorbike or on the treadmill. Last winter, I was able to walk a lot, I no longer had pain. I am physically better prepared.”
As for the track...
“The track looks like a mountain road with the holes there. The only positive point is that the asphalt is cleaner than usual, and turn 10, with the new surface, has improved. But they should do the same job in 2 or 3 places. The problem is that it costs a lot of money to fix everything and, in the past, when they tried to do it, they only made the situation worse. So either they do everything, or it’s better to stay like that.”
Massimo Meregalli : “Today was a very positive first day with both drivers at COTA, both in FP1 and FP2. We started where we finished in Argentina, in terms of settings, and we saw that the riders were quite comfortable, which gave us the opportunity to work calmly and make further improvements in the FP2. There are still areas where both drivers would like to improve, but for a first day we are very satisfied. Considering the weather forecast for tomorrow, having Maverick and Vale in the top 10 is very good. We will now prepare some adjustments on the bikes for tomorrow's FP3, hoping that it will be dry. Otherwise, we will try to be ready to adapt the bikes to the wet conditions and go from there.”
MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas standings in Austin FP2:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
