With three Yamaha riders at the forefront including a Maverick Viñales as leader and a Valentino Rossi fifth, this first day of free testing on the Buriram track in Thailand, to bring a smile back to the blues of the house of Iwata.
Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales et Franco Morbidelli did the job for Yamaha, finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Valentino Rossi also finished 5th. The least we can say is that the M1 seems to work perfectly on the Chang International Circuit.
« It's not perfect, it shows on paper because we have two long straights, but it seems like the bike is working well." said Casa Particular in Viñales. " I think we did a good job today and we can definitely improve on the result. But for today, it's done anyway. NOTWe tried tires and worked on the racing area. We are quite satisfied with today's performance » said the 24-year-old pilot.
He pursues : " for the tires I focused on the medium because I have good feelings on the bike with them. We will see. But it's true that we have to be a little more aggressive in the acceleration phase » admitted the Spaniard. “ Tire deterioration is less of a problem for me here than in Aragón” explained the native of Figueras.
Top speed is always a tense topic of discussion at Yamaha, but the disadvantage at Buriram is less serious than at Aragón, analyzed Casa Particular in Viñales: " In these curves it's a little less noticeable because you're not accelerating from zero. You already have speed. We have good traction and we gain something – then we lose in fourth, fifth and sixth gear. In Aragón you accelerate from zero, so top speed was more critical there. But we don't lose that much here, it's very positive . »
The driver confirms that since this morning, his pace has been good and makes him confident for the rest of the celebrations to come, the qualifications: “ Yes, it was pretty good. I was quick at the end and that's good for us what is the race on Sunday. I know that Sunday Marc will be there and that the other Yamahas will also be very strong – and Dovi. I think they are the main contenders for victory. Miller was also quite strong on a fast lap” concludes Maverick Vinales.
Combined FP1/FP2 results:
