The first day of the Austrian Grand Prix held this weekend at the Spielberg circuit was eventful for two Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS drivers, Franco Morbidelli and Alex Marquez.
With a dry lap in 1'30.211 achieved in FP2, Morbidelli climbed to the top of the timesheet. A perfect response for the Italian after his crash in the rain this morning in FP1 at turn four.
Morbidelli took the advantage of Tom Lüthi during his final run, ahead of the Swiss driver by 0.031 seconds, during a FP2 with eighteen drivers separated by only one second.
Marquez was also the victim of a fall in the wet during FP1 which had started in the dry. Morbidelli and his Spanish teammate were only able to complete a few laps before a deluge hit the Spielberg track.
The Spaniard fell under braking as he attacked the first corner alongside Danny Kent. For Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, it was a relief to see that for both Marquez and Morbidelli, these high-speed crashes were without consequences.
Marquez responded in FP2 by finishing the day in a solid seventh place with a time of 1'30.610, just three tenths from the top three.
Franco Morbidelli: 1st – 1'30.211
“I'm very happy to finish with the best time because everything wasn't easy today. It was a long day for the team who had to rebuild my bike after the fall this morning. I am happy to be able to thank them with this P1. We can always improve and I am sure we can do even better. It's a short circuit with few turns and you have to be precise with the settings. This morning it was complicated in the rain. There are three big braking events with a lot of rubber left on the track by the cars driving here. If you're not on the right line, it's very easy to lose the front because there's no grip in the wet. »
Alex Marquez: 7th – 1'30.618
“I feel fast here but my number one problem is sector three. I lack speed in the two left turns because I have difficulty turning the bike. The problem comes from the front, but I still don't have a bad rhythm. We know we can improve. This morning we had the opportunity to ride in the wet for the first time. There were a lot of falls and it's hard to understand why. It seems that rubber deposited by cars is a problem. I feel sorry for Danny with the fall this morning. I immediately apologized but there was nothing I could do when I fell. »
