Despite his efforts, the Frenchman was unable to secure his ticket to advance to Q2.
After a mixed opening day disrupted by the weather, radiant sunshine and stifling heat awaited the MotoGP™ riders on Saturday morning at the start of the third free practice session of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Although having gained more than a second on his reference time, Loris Baz failed in 17th position just behind his teammate's Desmosedici GP16. Confident about being able to do well during the repechage, he tried everything to achieve it, but he was trapped shortly before the checkered flag. An incident without dramatic consequences for the Frenchman who ultimately had to settle for seventh time less than nine tenths from the gates of Q2.
Loris Baz, who will be surrounded by Bradley Smith and Sam Lowes on the sixth row, nevertheless hopes to be able to move up the hierarchy in the race, even if rain is on the program of hostilities.
Loris Baz (17th – 2'01.050):
“Overall, it was a pretty positive day. I feel good on new tires, but much less so when they start to wear out, I lack pace. In qualifying, I managed to complete a fast lap alone. I then found myself in Rins' wake. I was ahead of the best time before I made a mistake and lost the lead. I knew it was going to be difficult, so I tried everything. In the end, it didn't work out. It's a shame, because there was a place in Q2 to take. We will try to find solutions to have a faster pace in preparation for the race. We are still not sure about the choice of tires. If it rains, we will work to try to resolve the problems we encountered on Friday. I preferred the weather to be good on Sunday, because I still have some uncertainties. But if it rains, I'll be ready. Still, I remain satisfied with the outcome of this day. »
