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Thai Grand Prix, Buriram, MotoGP FP1: Yamaha double against all odds! Márquez yet dominant

by | Oct 5, 2018

After carrying out tests on the Buriram circuit at the start of the season, the MotoGP field returns there eight months later and the results risk being different as the situation has changed. In February, Dani Pedrosa set the reference time by running in 1'29.781, just 86 thousandths faster than Johann Zarco and a little less than two tenths than Marc Márquez. Since then, Pedrosa has had the worst season of his career, and Zarco is having a difficult time, like all Yamaha riders, while Marquez seems unstoppable. Conversely, Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo finished in fifteenth and sixteenth position but have made considerable progress since. However, it will be necessary to take into account the Majorcan's injury which will not allow him to be at 100% of his abilities.

So who will be able to gain the upper hand in Thailand? If Marc Márquez seems the best placed, we must not forget Andrea Dovizioso or Cal Crutchlow and the Suzukis, not to mention Dani Pedrosa who could finally return to the front. As for the Yamahas, will they be able to solve some of their problems?

First taste of it all at 4:55 a.m. PDT for FP1.

Buriram MotoGP™

Chronos

Jonathan Rea 2017 (WSBK SP2)

1'32.957

D.1 tests (mid-day)

 1'30.912 Marc Marquez

J.1 tests

  1'30.797 Cal Crutchlow

J.2 tests

  1'29.969 Marc Marquez

J.3 tests

  1'29.781 Dani Pedrosa

FP1

 1'31.220 Maverick Vinales

FP2

FP3

FP4

Q1

Q2

Warm Up

Course

All time lap record

 1'29.781 Dani Pedrosa

The temperature continues to rise since Moto3, and it is now 30 degrees in the air and 44 degrees on the track when the MotoGP riders set off. They had barely left the pit lane whenAlex Rins is the victim of a technical problem and is forced to move aside to finally leave his machine with the marshals before running towards his box. Note the absence of Tito Rabat, still injured, and replaced once again by Jordi Torres.

Marc Márquez immediately sets the first time in 1'34.555 followed by a Scott Redding who starts his session strong, even if the times are still five seconds behind those of the February tests. From his next turn, Márquez improves by three seconds.

Maverick Vinales, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso, Valentino Rossi et Johann zarco ride together, which allows them to enter the top 10, from fourth to eighth place. Dani Pedrosa passes them in front and lines up in fourth row, while Scott Redding repeats a fast lap and ranks sixth. His recent signing for next year did it finally free his mind and give him back the desire to ride in front?

After fifteen minutes, Marc Márquez still leads, this time in 1'31.970, ahead Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Dovizioso, Jack Miller et Maverick Vinales. Then Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Iannone, Cal Crutchlow, Takaaki Nakagami et Johann zarco complete the top 10. Valentino Rossi is thirteenth, Jorge Lorenzo fourteenth.

True to form, Márquez attack hard and look for the limit. His time improved by more than two tenths. However, we are still two seconds away from the record of Pedrosa from February. Behind, Iannone is also improving and is not far away either, at just over a tenth.

Shortly after halfway through the session, both men are still leading Petrucci, Dovizioso et Miller. The rest of the top 10 is then made up of Casa Particular in Viñales, zarco, Redding, Crutchlow et Pedrosa. Red is fourteenth and Lorenzo sixteenth. The positions don't change too much.

The end of the session is quite calm, no one improves significantly. You have to wait until the very last minutes to see things move. It was then that the Yamaha riders appeared, against all expectations! Casa Particular in Viñales thus takes the best time, just ahead Red. Behind, Dovizioso et Miller both relegate Márquez, yet ultra dominant, in fifth place. zarco takes sixth place, ahead of Iannone and Nakagami in great form who finished best rookie. Petrucci finished ninth. Aprilia drivers, Redding et I will espargaro, for their part made a double at the end of the top 10, in tenth and eleventh places, before seeing Crutchlow interpose between them.

FP1 ranking:

1 25 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 324.7 1'31.220
2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 322.0 1'31.490 0.270 / 0.270
3 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 326.8 1'31.636 0.416 / 0.146
4 43 Jack MILLER AUS Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 320.4 1'31.637 0.417 / 0.001
5 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 326.0 1'31.668 0.448 / 0.031
6 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 324.7 1'31.786 0.566 / 0.118
7 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 320.5 1'31.860 0.640 / 0.074
8 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 320.3 1'32.040 0.820 / 0.180
9 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 327.2 1'32.108 0.888 / 0.068
10 45 Scott REDDING GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 322.4 1'32.191 0.971 / 0.083
11 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR LCR Honda CASTROL Honda 326.6 1'32.280 1.060 / 0.089
12 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 319.9 1'32.313 1.093 / 0.033
13 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 322.9 1'32.414 1.194 / 0.101
14 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 321.0 1'32.422 1.202 / 0.008
15 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 318.8 1'32.479 1.259 / 0.057
16 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Angel Nieto Team Ducati 322.9 1'32.520 1.300 / 0.041
17 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Ducati Team Ducati 325.1 1'32.521 1.301 / 0.001
18 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 320.8 1'32.648 1.428 / 0.127
19 55 Hafizh SYAHRIN MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 319.4 1'32.770 1.550 / 0.122
20 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Angel Nieto Team Ducati 323.3 1'32.947 1.727 / 0.177
21 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 319.4 1'33.092 1.872 / 0.145
22 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 317.3 1'33.133 1.913 / 0.041
23 10 Xavier SIMEON BEL Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 319.8 1'33.272 2.052 / 0.139
24 81 Jordi TORRES SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 321.7 1'33.406 2.186 / 0.134