Moto3 Losail Qatar FP1: Sergio García plays Zorro!

It is under a clear sky but in an inevitably somewhat strange atmosphere that this first free practice session for the Qatar Moto3 Grand Prix takes place.

A few names have emerged during winter testing so far, starting with Ai Ogura (Honda, Honda Team Asia), John mcphee (Honda, Petronas Sprinta Racing), gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse), Sergio García (Honda, Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Raul Fernandez (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo) during testing in Jerez de la Frontera, then Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team), Ai Ogura (Honda, Honda Team Asia), Tony Arbolino (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team), Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse), Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) last week on the same Losail international circuit.

 

 

 

The opportunity, moreover, to compare the best time achieved on the Qatari track during this pre-season by Filip Salac in 2'04.892 with the circuit record of 2'04.561 established by Aron Canet in FP2 last year: record not broken, unlike what happened during testing in Jerez! Moto3 world vice-champion, Aron Canet moved up to the Moto2 category, just like the world champion Lorenzo Dalla Porta and third in the general classification, Marcos Ramirez, this leaves room for a visibly large number of contenders that this first Grand Prix of the season should make it possible to refine.

Thus, among the other headliners, Kaito Toba (Honda, Red Bull KTM Ajo), Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Romano Fenati (KTM, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) seem to need a little more time to find the instructions for their new KTM, while Niccolo Antonelli (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse) had to declare package to have shoulder surgery.

Conversely, many are the rookies who will launch themselves into the deep end in a few minutes, like Jeremy Alcove (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), Deniz Oncu (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3) or Carlos Tatay (KTM, Reale Avintia Arizona 77), but without Barry Baltus (KTM, PrüstlGP) for the moment replaced while waiting to reach the minimum age required (in Jerez).

We therefore expect significant differences during this first session which will take place with a uniformly blue sky, no wind and temperatures of 25° in the air and 32° on the track.

 

Here are the available references:

Moto3 Losail Qatar™	2019	2020
FP1	2'05.917 Romano Fenati	2'05.407 Sergio Garcia
FP2	2'04.561 Arón Canet
FP3	2'06.561 Vicente Pérez
Q1	2'06.689 Celestino Vietti
Q2	2'05.883 Arón Canet
warm up	2'06.097 Arón Canet
Course	Toba, Dalla Porta, Canet
All time lap record	2'04.561 Arón Canet 2019

 

At the appointed time, the 31 Moto3s set off gradually on the 5,4 kilometer track, led by the two pilots of the CIP–Green Power team, but the live timing which does not work prevents us from following the evolution of the first live times.

 

 

 

Filip Salac (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team) nevertheless recorded the first reference in 2'07.093 after five minutes, before being dethroned by a very promising rookie, Deniz Oncu (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3) in 2'07.063.

Jaume Masia (KTM, Sky Racing Team VR46) makes a minor mistake in turn #10 when Albert Arenas (KTM, Aspar Team) crosses the 2'07 mark.

 

This supremacy of the Aspar pilot is obviously very temporary and Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse) then imposed his Honda in 2'06.525, ten minutes after the opening of the track.

Albert Arenas then loses control of his KTM without gravity at turn #16.

After this first run, Tatsuki suzuki precedes by 19 thousandths Tony Arbolino (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team), Kaito Toba (Honda, Red Bull KTM Ajo), Roman Fenati (KTM, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Deniz Oncu (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3).

 

 

 

Midway through the session, Ai Ogura (Honda, Honda Team Asia) joins the Top 5, when live timing finally makes its appearance.

With the track still dirty, the times are not very high and there are no less than 20 drivers in the same second.

We also take our time before attacking the last run, while we notice the top speed of 238.9 km/h of Jaume Masia (Honda, Leopard Racing). In the long straight of the Losail circuit, aspirations are essential in Moto3…

 

 

 

Five minutes from the checkered flag, Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) then only 28th attempted a first attack which brought him back to 12th position, but it was then Yukii Kuni (Honda, Honda Team Asia), 10th, who made the best deal by grabbing second place.

The sectors light up red everywhere, and Ai Ogura (Honda, Honda Team Asia) is the first to improve the provisional reference, in 2'06.373 during his 12th lap, thus offering a very provisional double to the official Honda team.

Indeed, Sergio García (Honda, Estrella Galicia 0,0) shakes up this hierarchy in the final moments with a 2'05.407 which leaves him a lead of 2/10 over Tatsuki suzuki.

 

 

 

FP1 Moto3 Ranking Qatar Grand Prix at Losail:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com