Dutch Grand Prix Assen Moto2 FP1: Bagnaia, Locatelli and… El Diablo!

The various Dutch Grand Prix practice sessions last year were generally dominated by Franco Morbidelli before he won the event.

The Italian-Brazilian rider having moved to the MotoGP category, the attention, and the tension, are therefore focused on those who will appear next year in the premier category and who are vying to be within one point for the leadership of the championship today, at know Francis Bagnaia et Miguel Oliveira.

But we will also follow with the greatest hopes the latest winner of a Moto2 Grand Prix, Fabio Quartararo !

Conversely, someone who sees his chances in this Grand Prix withdrawn is Simone Courses, who will start last on the grid for having collided Miguel Oliveira after the finish line of the Catalan Grand Prix.

Here are the chronometric references available while the sun heats the air to 24° and the track to 33°:

Moto2™ Assen	2017	2018
FP1	1'38.492 Tom Lüthi
FP2	1'38.061 Franco Morbidelli
FP3	1'52.973 Franco Morbidelli
Qualification	1'38.468 Franco Morbidelli
Warm Up	1'55.261 Franco Morbidelli
Course	Morbidelli, Lüthi, Nakagami
All time lap record	1'36.346 Johann Zarco 2015

 

From the very beginning of the session, fabio quartararo, whose bike is sporting a yellow color this weekend, leads the ranking in 1'41.120.

The times quickly drop below the 1'40 mark while 6 drivers battle for leadership: Francesco Bagnaia, Alex Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Mattia Pasini, Marcel Schrotter and Miguel Oliveira.

In their 5th round, Mattia Pasini, Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia dig the hole but Fabio Quartararo responds and manages to stay at the forefront.

In this little game, it's Alex Marquez who makes the mistake and goes to the ground without gravity in turn number 10.

At the end of the first run, Francesco Bagnaia (1'38.333) precedes Fabio Quartararo, Alex Márquez, Marcel Schrotter, Mattia Pasini, Miguel Oliveira, Xavi Virgo, Joan Mir, Jorge Navarro, Danny Kent and Dominique Aegerter, all in precisely one second.

Lorenzo Baldassarri nevertheless continues to ride a little more than the others and then enters the top 10 in 7th position.

Unlike MotoGP, the pit stops last quite a long time and there are only a good ten minutes left when all the riders finish returning to the track.

Improvements are slow to come but Danny Kent begins the hostilities by rising to 4th position, thus confirming the good form of the Speed ​​Up.

3 minutes from the checkered flag, Francesco Bagnaia launched an offensive to improve his advantage, which he did by a few hundredths in 1'38.219.

Andrea Locatelli then creates a surprise by seizing second position by taking advantage of the wake of Joan mir.

In extremis, Brad Binder takes 4th position ahead Lorenzo Baldassarri.

Ranking Moto2 FP1 Dutch Grand Prix in Assen:

Credit classification and photos: MotoGP.com