Catalan Grand Prix, Barcelona, ​​MotoGP, Warm-up: Fabio Quartararo comes out of his box at the last minute!

La MotoGP qualifying revealed the unusual hierarchy of a completely lonely Marc Márquez in the middle of 4 Yamahas! It was said that Iwata's machines were somewhat behind the Hondas and the Ducatis but it is clear that with the increasingly narrow gaps between the different manufacturers, only one of the main parameters, which are the track or the grip of a circuit can completely disrupt the appearance of the starting grid of a Grand Prix.

Marc Márquez, who yesterday provided a press conference with interesting explanation on the subject, appears overall as the favorite for this Catalan Grand Prix, facing a Fabio Quartararo certainly poleman and very talented but still recovering and so far losing places at the start, as often Maverick Viñales also downgraded by 3 positions on the grid.

Obviously there remains the old fox of Valentino Rossi who this circuit is perfect for…

Still, to be able to defend their chances, everyone will have to use this 20-minute warmup wisely in order to choose the best combination of tires and, to do this, obviously take into account the simply perfect temperatures of 23° in the air and 30° on a track bathed in bright sunshine.

Here are some references available for this important moment:

Barcelona MotoGP™	2018	2019
FP1	1'39.456 Valentino Rossi (see here)	1'40.692 Marc Márquez (see here)
FP2	1'38.930 Jorge Lorenzo (see here)	1'40.079 Fabio Quartararo (see here)
FP3	1'38.923 Andrea Dovizioso (see here)	1'39.547 Alex Rins (see here)
FP4	1'39.708 Andrea Iannone (see here)	1'40.235 Fabio Quartararo (see here)
QP1	1'39.217 Marc Márquez (see here)	1'39.727 Franco Morbidelli (see here)
QP2	1'38.680 Jorge Lorenzo (see here)	1'39.484 Fabio Quartararo (see here)
warm up	1'39.571 Andrea Dovizioso (see here)	1'39.918 Fabio Quartararo
Course	Lorenzo, Marquez, Rossi (see here)
All time lap record	1'38.680 Jorge Lorenzo (2018)

When the red lights go out, it's for once Francis Bagnaia who sets off first in order to benefit from a clear track. Conversely, Jorge Lorenzo sets off very late while the Ducati ofAndrea Dovizioso experienced problems and quickly returned to her box where she was hidden behind the removable awnings.

Concerning tires, the choices are multiple and Michelin even mentions the possibility of using soft tires during the race, given the current low grip of the surface...

In 1'41.597, Maverick Vinales proves to be the fastest in the first flying lap.

In the next passage, it is Jorge Lorenzo which is at the top of the ranking, in 1'40.710.

One more loop and Marc Márquez lowers the provisional benchmark to 1'40.277 using an unusual soft/soft combination.

Unfortunately, during this time, Andrea Dovizioso still waiting in his box for the problem to be resolved on his GP 19

Hafiz Syahrin by the fault without any seriousness at turn number 2.

Midway through the session, Andrea Dovizioso finally sets off on the Catalan route while Marc Márquez further improves his best time in 1'39.965 ahead of a hierarchy made up of Aleix Espargaró, Fabio Quartararo, Takaaki Nakagami, Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales, Jorge Lorenzo, Álex, Joan Mir and Tito Rabat.

Pol Espargaro lost control of his KTM at turn number 5, just before his brother did the same with his Aprilia at turn number 9. Fortunately, the two natives got up immediately.

3 minutes before the end of the session, Maverick Vinales, penalized yesterday, moves to 3rd position, just before Andrea Dovizioso can finally put in a decent lap and enter the top 10.

In extremis, fabio quartararo improves his best time in the first sector before achieving the best times of the session in the next 3 portions.

One more time, The Devil therefore rises to the top of the hierarchy this weekend, bringing great hopes to the very numerous French spectators today on the Catalan track...

Start of the 24-lap race at 14 p.m.

Warmup standings for the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com