After Qatar, rain once again took part in hostilities on Saturday at Termas de Río Hondo. Despite the difficult conditions, Loris Baz felt comfortable, both in the dry and in the wet.
Already comfortably installed in the Top 10 at the end of the opening day, the Frenchman ensured automatic qualification in Q2 by remaining seventh in the hierarchy, at the end of the third practice session free, Saturday morning.
Loris then set his best time at the start of qualifying, in 1'49.630. Thus, he will start from ninth place on the starting grid for the Argentine Grand Prix, which is his best result since his arrival in MotoGP.
Confident for this second race of the season, the Ducati rider intends to make it happen by scoring numerous points and leaving Latin America on a good note.
Loris Baz: “The day went very well, from start to finish. My pace in the dry was very good and I managed to follow Marc (Márquez) for seven or eight laps. I discovered the bike on a wet track during the last test session. Despite a few details to iron out, I also felt confident. Conditions were different in Q2 since the track had started to dry during Q1. Given my size, the rear tended to push the front and it's very difficult. So I had to take a quick tour without delay. It was possible to do better, but I remain satisfied nonetheless. Our pace is good and I hope that starting from the third row will allow me to have a solid race.
We already know which tires to choose for the race. We are still hesitating between two possibilities at the rear. Everything will depend on the temperatures. I'm really confident for the race. However, it will be necessary to manage the tires as best as possible to reach the finish in the best possible condition. »
