To Marco Bezzecchi, the Australian Grand Prix begins at a similar pace to that of qualifying in Thailand, where the Mooney VR46 Racing Team rookie finally obtained pole position.
This morning in FP1, like Johann zarco, Aleix Espargaró, Marc Márquez ou Francis Bagnaia, the Rimini driver managed to stay in the top 10 despite the (risky) bet of not using a soft rear tire in the final package on the Phillip Island circuit.
This afternoon, in a faster FP2, no more question of playing this little game motivated by the desire to keep an extra tire for the race in the event of a red flag, and it is with a soft rear tire that Marco Bezzecchi improved his best lap to achieve the second fastest time of the session, just 38 thousandths behind a Johann zarco essential today.
In the VR46 box, we do not give in to euphoria, no doubt remembering the poor performance in the race during the Thai Grand Prix, but it is clear that this southern weekend is off to a pretty good start...
Marco Bezzecchi : " A beautiful day and a great circuit. We made a great step forward between the two sessions: Matteo, Sergio (Flamigni and Martinez) and all the Ducati technicians did a great job and I was able to really ride the way I wanted in FP2. I'm sunk and can handle the movements and vibrations of the bike well. We are still missing something, we can better manage tire consumption, which is crucial in the long term, and also the wind. Braking the first corner is really difficult, as well as the straight and sector 3, but we can work on it. You need big balls to ride fast on Phillip Island! »
Paul Grandson : " I'm very happy to be back here in Australia after a long time, one of the most beautiful circuits on the entire calendar. We are in a good dynamic with the whole team: Marco immediately got back into the rhythm of the leading group, while Luca suffered more from the wind today, given his size, but he has good potential for tomorrow. We continue to work to better face the race and redeem ourselves after Thailand. »
MotoGP Australian Grand Prix FP2 results at Phillip Island:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
