Valentino Rossi finished his first day of work in Australia in second place. With his 1'29.684, he follows Marc Marquez in 1'29.497 and with a much more solid level of performance than what was seen during the last Sepang tests. What's more, the Doctor set his time with fresh tires and after a complicated day which almost ended in a fall. Enough to convince the Yamaha official that the season is far from being a foregone conclusion...
It's not quite a cold shower, but rather a return to earth. By leaving Sepang, the Yamaha troops had convinced themselves that this season would already be theirs. Ducati was laying its foundations, Suzuki was barely asserting itself while Honda was stammering its ranges. But after this first day in Australia, the balance of power changed. And it's this time Marc Márquez who played the strong man.
A situation which has not escaped Valentino Rossi. Sure GP One, it is even rather clear: “ Márquez clearly showed that he is the fastest overall since testing began. Whether in Valencia or Sepang. We have work to do if we want to stay in touch with him. I think he's the man to beat, the reference ».
We are therefore far from the predictions announcing a duel between Red et Casa Particular in Viñales with dominant Yamahas: “ we started the day badly. I couldn't feel the front of the M1. It was complicated. I almost fell. Then at the break, we studied the data and modified the bike. The team worked well because in the afternoon I had a competitive bike. Even the pacing wasn't that bad. At the end, I put on new tires and as the wind had died down, I was able to make good time. I'm second, but there's still a lot to do ».
Enthusiasm is therefore not appropriate: “ We suffer with worn tires and we have to work to have a good racing pace. I hope that we will find solutions in the coming days. We are not yet able to exploit the bike 100%. For the moment, it is Márquez and the Honda who are the best ».
The Doctor therefore mobilizes his troops: “ I like the new chassis, but we haven't decided anything yet. We need to make comparisons and that will be our priority here. Times don't matter much during testing. What matters is the overall feeling. In Sepang, I suffered physically but it didn't go so bad. Today, we saw that we were starting to understand the bike, to better understand what needs to be done. She seems to have good potential ". But everything still remains to be done in the face of a Honda which is asserting itself. In Sepang, Red was not the last to say that Márquez hid his game.
| Pos | Pile | Team | Chrono | Difference | Laps | |
| 1 | MARCHEZ, Marc | Repsol Honda Team | 1:29.497 | 53 / 68 | ||
| 2 | Rossi, Valentine | Yamaha Motor Racing | 1:29.683 | 0.186 | 76 / 77 | |
| 3 | P | IANNON, Andrew | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1:29.926 | 0.429 | 68 / 70 |
| 4 | P | VIÑALES, Maverick | Yamaha Motor Racing | 1:29.989 | 0.492 | 26 / 64 |
| 5 | P | CRUTCHLOW, Cal | Honda LCR | 1:30.065 | 0.568 | 61 / 61 |
| 6 | P | PETRUCCI, Danilo | Octo Pramac Racing | 1:30.262 | 0.765 | 87 / 87 |
| 7 | P | PEDROSA, Dani | Repsol Honda Team | 1:30.281 | 0.784 | 13 / 55 |
| 8 | DOVIZIOSO, Andrew | Ducati Team | 1:30.410 | 0.913 | 16 / 64 | |
| 9 | MILLER, Jack | Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1:30.426 | 0.929 | 80 / 82 | |
| 10 | P | Folger, Jonas | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 1:30.578 | 1.081 | 30 / 62 |
| 11 | P | LORENZO, Jorge | Ducati Team | 1:30.631 | 1.134 | 33 / 61 |
| 12 | P | BAUTISTA, Alvaro | Pull&Bear Aspar Team | 1:30.770 | 1.273 | 24 / 68 |
| 13 | BARBERA, Hector | Royal Esponsorama Racing | 1:30.771 | 1.274 | 7 / 51 | |
| 14 | P | Espargaro, Aleix | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1:30.802 | 1.305 | 26 / 28 |
| 15 | P | ZARCO, Johann | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 1:30.867 | 1.370 | 77 / 80 |
| 16 | ABRAHAM, Karel | Pull&Bear Aspar Team | 1:31.179 | 1.682 | 17 / 61 | |
| 17 | ESPARGARÓ, Pol | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1:31.200 | 1.703 | 54 / 59 | |
| 18 | P | BAZ, Loris | Royal Esponsorama Racing | 1:31.249 | 1.752 | 56 / 60 |
| 19 | P | Rins, Alex | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1:31.432 | 1.935 | 66 / 66 |
| 20 | REDDING, Scott | Octo Pramac Racing | 1:31.755 | 2.258 | 33 / 59 | |
| 21 | LOWES, Sam | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1:32.307 | 2.810 | 15 / 35 | |
| 22 | P | SMITH, Bradley | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1:32.690 | 3.193 | 43 / 57 |
