While Johann zarco is satisfied with his fifth provisional position at the end of the first day on the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit as part of the Argentine MotoGP Grand Prix, Francis Bagnaia, 35 thousandths behind the Frenchman, he is not!
After his domination in Portugal, the reigning world champion seems to have difficulty explaining an imperfect feeling which translated for the spectators into very short runs from the first session.
“In Portimão, everything immediately went well, especially thanks to the previous tests. Compared to Portimão, where we had two days of testing before the race weekend, we did not start in the best conditions. The time available to refine the bike is not huge, but we still did a good job. Here, on Friday, I definitely didn't have the best feeling on my Ducati. The behavior from the front wasn't good, but the goal for the first day was to place in the top 10. I just didn't have the opportunity to really chase the time because we had Still work to do. I also missed the right moment to go out on soft tires. »
Other circumstances then came to thwart the efforts of the Piedmontese in the afternoon who, also suffering from a cold, ultimately judged this first day to be quite average despite good work...
“In the afternoon I set off, but we couldn't do many laps in a row. I was also bothered by the wind, which almost blew me off the track in some places, and by the bumps. Friday was just not a successful day. »
However, his performance is far from having been a disaster, and his chances of shining remain intact for the moment...
"The fact that I have a bit of a fever shouldn't be a problem." I know we can improve. The Aprilia impressed me a bit today, but I know we can be faster as soon as I get better feeling on the Desmosedici. With used tires, my pace is competitive and we are not far from the leaders. Tomorrow morning it will be very important to continue running on used tires to try to take another step forward, and in qualifying it will be crucial to secure a place on the first two rows of the starting grid. »
Results of P2 of the MotoGP Argentine Grand Prix at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
