#DutchGP MotoGP FP3 : “Redding in the rain” devant Rossi sous la pluie !

If we had to keep only one piece of information from the first MotoGP day which took place yesterday in the Netherlands, it would undoubtedly concern the return to form of the official Yamahas, all four of Iwata's machines featured very well in the top 8.

Today's news obviously concerns the weather, since the expected cold rain is here. In these conditions, no improvement will undoubtedly be possible in FP3 and the Top 10 of the first day will determine the drivers who will participate directly in Q2: Vinales, Folger, Marquez, Dovizioso, Crutchlow, Rossi, Petrucci, Zarco, Bautista and Pedrosa.

Here are the references available before this FP3 where there is more to lose than to gain, 17 riders have just fallen in Moto3 on the Dutch track visibly not very grippy in the wet:

#DutchGP MotoGP	2016	2017
FP1	1'34.349 Andrea Iannone (see here)	1'34.680 Danilo Petrucci (see here)
FP2	1'33.591 Andrea Iannone (see here)	1'33.130 Maverick Vinales (see here)
FP3	1'33.308 Andrea Dovizioso (see here)
FP4	1'48.628 Marc Marquez (see here)
Q1	1'48.482 Pol Espargaro (see here)
Q2	1'45.246 Andrea Dovizioso (see here)
Warm up	1'34.638 Andrea Iannone (see here)
Course	Miller, Marquez, Redding (see here et here)
All time lap record	1'32.627 Rossi 2015

 

Mastering 280 horsepower with a tire contact patch the size of a credit card is no easy task on dry ground. On a wet track, this is both art and acrobatics, and it is therefore obviously on eggshells that the MotoGP riders begin this 45-minute session, despite the almost unanimous use of soft tires front and in back.

In these difficult conditions, Loris Baz, Cal Crutchlow et Valentino Rossi proved to be the fastest after the first 15 minutes, the French driver's time being established at 1'47.126.

A few moments later, Jorge Lorenzo reminds everyone that, unlike mixed conditions, it doesn't hate rain. However, he is ahead in this exercise by Hector Barbera in 1'46.851 mid-session, when the majority of drivers returned to their box after having established the following hierarchy: Barbera, Lorenzo, Baz, Marquez, Petrucci, Crutchlow, Rossi, Zarco, Miller and Rins.

This is not the case Valentino Rossi who made his effort and initially positioned himself third before taking command in 1'46.709.

Seven minutes from the end of the session, John Zarco rises from 11th to fourth place, just behind a Scott Redding who likes these particular conditions. The British driver also lowered the best time on the next pass, in 1'46.655.

Johann zarco et Marc Márquez try to respond but lose time in the last sector.

Loris Baz minor fall five minutes from the end at turn number 3 while Cal Crutchlow follows him to the ground at turn number 8.

In the last round, there are still five who can improve: Rossi, Marquez, Petrucci and Aleix Espargaro, but it is the British driver who further improves his time in 1'46.441 while Alvaro Bautista is having a nice heat...

The big losers of this session are called Andrea Dovizioso and especially Dani Pedrosa, dernier, mais ces deux “sages” ont-ils cherché à prendre le moindre risque alors que l’on attend une course sur le sec demain ?

Ranking compiled by our friends at crash.net :

FP3:
1. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 46.441s [Lap 19/19] 294km/h (Top Speed)
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 46.672s +0.231s [21/21] 289km/h
3. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 46.743s +0.302s [17/19] 290km/h
4. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 46.756s +0.315s [16/17] 294km/h
5. Johann zarco ENG Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 46.794s +0.353s [18/21] 289km/h
6. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 46.851s +0.410s [10/19] 294km/h
7. Alex Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 46.936s +0.495s [16/16] 286km/h
8. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 47.075s +0.634s [10/19] 287km/h
9. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 47.126s +0.685s [7/13] 289km/h
10. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 47.295s +0.854s [19/21] 295km/h
11. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 47.306s +0.865s [17/17] 295km/h
12. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 47.310s +0.869s [15/16] 295km/h
13. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 47.355s +0.914s [17/18] 289km/h
14. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 47.394s +0.953s [15/16] 292km/h
15. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 47.409s +0.968s [6/13] 292km/h
16. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 1m 47.657s +1.216s [16/19] 288km/h
17. alex rins ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 1m 47.767s +1.326s [8/19] 291km/h
18. Espargaro Pol ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 47.774s +1.333s [14/20] 295km/h
19. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 47.908s +1.467s [19/19] 287km/h
20. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 48.194s +1.753s [9/17] 289km/h
21. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 49.235s +2.794s [13/17] 292km/h
22. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 49.284s +2.843s [19/19] 290km/h
23. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 49.291s +2.850s [17/19] 282km/h