Loris Baz, who made a mistake at the very end of the session, ranked seventeenth on the first day of free practice on the Jerez track.
The Spanish Grand Prix kicked off this Friday for Loris Baz and the Avintia Racing team. If the Frenchman concluded the first day in 17th position after suffering a fall in the final minutes, his best time placed him just three tenths from the Top 10.
Suffering from a lack of grip under the blazing Spanish sun during the afternoon, the Haut-Savoyard hopes to take advantage of the morning conditions on Saturday to regain a place in Q2.
“Jerez is a really unusual track: in the morning, the times are often very good and they are much less so in the afternoon. This is also why we go out early in the morning during winter tests. »
“This morning, the feeling was good. I was suffering from a few electronic issues which we were able to resolve. In the afternoon, I had big problems with rear grip. I'm not the only one suffering from this problem, but I probably focused too much on this, rather than fixing the rest of the bike. I fell at the end of the session when I was about to improve. »
“In the rankings, I may be far away, but I remain only three tenths from the Top 10. It's encouraging and I think we will find solutions between today and tomorrow. We will get back into rhythm, but it is obvious that this first day was harder than during the first Grands Prix. »
“A move directly to Q2 may be difficult although possible. In any case, I think I can easily fight for the first two places in Q1. Tomorrow morning, we will find ourselves in a configuration that worked for me this morning. »
