Vinales three hundredths behind Dovizioso, what a great championship! The two adversaries, on whom no one would have bet a kopek at the end of 2016, do not let go of each other and every week it is a hellish chase.
This Friday, Dovi showed that he was the boss by setting the best time in the first free practice session in the dry. But Vinales responded by closing in on him, despite having two different chassis to manage on the new asphalt of the Sachsenring. The two friends distanced third Dani Pedrosa by around two tenths and Marc Marquez by three, significant gaps on such a short circuit (3,7 km).
Opponents of the quality of Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow failed to make it into the top ten, which could have consequences for direct access to Q2, especially if the weather continues to play havoc.
This was the case this Friday afternoon, where the drivers were forced to ride to prepare for a possible race in the wet on Sunday. In the rain, Vinales did not take excessive risks, unwilling to add a new fall to his recent collection. He ranked modestly twentieth.
According to Maverick Vinales, “ In the afternoon we didn't feel as good as we did in the morning, we didn't find a good tune-up.
“I was struggling in the wet conditions and we have to try to work very hard to improve the set-up of the bike, especially for tomorrow, considering that it could rain during the race.
“No matter what, we know we can work on it. In the morning it was pretty good. I tried many tires, I felt very strong on the bike and I have good potential to improve.
“So it was a good day for me, even if we weren't the best in the afternoon. I'm looking forward to continuing to work on the bike during FP3 tomorrow. »
For his team manager Massimo Meregalli, “The Sachsenring is always one of the most difficult tracks for us on the MotoGP calendar and today we were faced with additional obstacles.
“Maverick feels very confident in the dry conditions, which he showed this morning. The rain in the afternoon was a shame as we could have used another dry session to work on the bike settings and get additional data for the race, if it is dry this Sunday – which is still uncertain.
“A dry FP2 would also have allowed Valentino to improve his time and position after this morning's session, but that was not the case. Nevertheless, the first day gave us a good indication of the areas we need to improve, especially in the wet.
“We received good feedback on the tires we used this morning and we were also able to complete the mandatory five laps on the harder tire. We will try to prepare some solutions for tomorrow's FP3. »
The #MovistarYamaha #MotoGP Team wishes Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and the Yamaha family a happy 62nd birthday (July 1st). #yamahappybirthday pic.twitter.com/rM8Z520xu0
- Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP (@YamahaMotoGP) June 30, 2017
Results of the first day:
1- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – 1'21.599
2- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.038
3- Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda Team - Honda RC213V - + 0.190
4- Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Gresini Racing Team – Aprilia RS-GP – + 0.233
5- Alvaro Bautista – Pull & Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.241
6- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.299
7- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.374
8- Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.393
9- Jack Miller – Marc VDS 0.0 EG – Honda RC213V – + 0.469
10- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.476
11- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.576
12- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 0.610
13- Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda – Honda RC213V – + 0.641
14- Hector Barbera – Royal Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – 0737 +
15- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 0.866
16- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.936
17- Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 0.994
18- Karel Abraham – Pull & Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.013
19- Alex Rins – Ecstar Team Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 1.043
20- Tito Rabat – EG 0.0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 1.146
21- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 1.289
22- Loris Baz – Royal Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 1.390
23- Mika Kallio – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 1,619
24- Andrea Iannone – Ecstar Team Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 1.700
Provisional ranking of the World Championship:
1 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 115 points
2 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 111
3 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 108
4 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 104
5 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 87
6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 77
7 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 62
8 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 60
9 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 58
10 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 51
11 Jack MILLER-Honda 40
12 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 34
13 Scott REDDING-Ducati 33
14 Loris BAZ-Ducati 31
15 Andrea IANNONE-Suzuki 28
16 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia 23
17 Tito RABAT-Honda 23
18 Hector BARBERA-Ducati 21
19 Karel ABRAHAM-Ducati 20
20 Pol ESPARGARO-KTM 11
