While the tension undoubtedly rose a notch in the LCR box where Cal Crutchlow moderately appreciated the performance of his Japanese teammate, Takaaki Nakagami made a superb start to free practice for the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing the first day in third position in the general classification.
While Ducati remains undefeated and was expected to dominate at Spielberg, it was, unlike last year, Honda who finally took the lead in the Friday standings as Nakagami joined Marc Márquez, the leader of the first day, in the Top 3.
In dry and increasingly sunny conditions, the Japanese rose to the occasion by setting the ninth fastest time in the first practice session, ahead of his teammate by two positions. Cal Crutchlow.
He then improved by around eight tenths in FP2 to move up to the virtual front row of the starting grid and was understandably pleased with his position ahead of Saturday's qualifying.
Takaaki Nakagami : “It was a little surprise for me and the team, because we expected to struggle more. Here, it's very “stop and go” and you need a lot of engine power, but from FP1 onwards, I felt very comfortable on the bike. We don't lose too much time in the straight and, for the first day, the time is not bad, but we are still a few tenths from the lap record. The team did a very good job today and I'm quite happy to have progressed between the first and second session. Tomorrow and Sunday the weather forecast is for rain, so I'm happy to finish in a good position today.”
FP2 Austrian Grand Prix MotoGP ranking:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
