The problem for Suzuki so far has been a difficulty in qualifying well and then playing at the front on race day. A pitfall which forces the GSX-RR riders to draw on the good potential of their machine not for a podium, or even more, but to climb up to the places of honor. This first day in Valencia revealed an improvement for the men of Hamamatsu in this regard which can give them hope for an interesting final. But another problem arose: rivalry between teammates!
It has now been several Grands Prix that Joan mir sticks to the train of its leader Alex Rins, when he does not allow himself to pass in front of him. This Friday in Valencia confirmed the trend which promises for the future, even if alex rins ended up bringing his young stablemate into line while denying that it was a concern. It remains that the two Suzuki had a good group shot in sixth and seventh place.
« I'm happy with this Friday ", said Mir. « I feel good on the bike. I could try the soft and medium tires and feel good with them. I have progressed well in the last three races. The pacing is also very good. It looks like we're back on track ". He adds : " I love this track, of course. But it's also about the progress we've made over the year. I am now aiming for a good result here in Valencia, because I want to go on vacation with a good result. »
« It's not important to me that I'm in front of Joan. I want to be fast, it's important and it's the only thing that matters ", said Kidneys, double winner this season. “ We are very motivated and we are still fighting for third place in the World Championship. This is our only objective at the moment. We have to be competitive and at the top of the timesheets. »
Then Kidneys finished : " Friday was pretty good. We tried a different configuration and thus took a step forward. But we must continue to work. We have a lot to improve on Saturday. My pace is good, it is similar to last year's winter tests. »
MotoGP Valencia J1: times
| 1 | 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 1'30.735 | ||
| 2 | 12 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'30.883 | 0.148 | 0.148 |
| 3 | 93 | Marc MÁRQUEZ | Honda | 1'30.974 | 0.239 | 0.091 |
| 4 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'31.000 | 0.265 | 0.026 |
| 5 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 1'31.199 | 0.464 | 0.199 |
| 6 | 42 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 1'31.230 | 0.495 | 0.031 |
| 7 | 36 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 1'31.280 | 0.545 | 0.050 |
| 8 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARÓ | Aprilia | 1'31.305 | 0.570 | 0.025 |
| 9 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'31.351 | 0.616 | 0.046 |
| 10 | 5 | johann zarco | Honda | 1'31.369 | 0.634 | 0.018 |
| 11 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'31.433 | 0.698 | 0.064 |
| 12 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'31.455 | 0.720 | 0.022 |
| 13 | 51 | Michael PIRRO | Ducati | 1'31.765 | 1.030 | 0.310 |
| 14 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'31.775 | 1.040 | 0.010 |
| 15 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'31.868 | 1.133 | 0.093 |
| 16 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Honda | 1'31.880 | 1.145 | 0.012 |
| 17 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARÓ | KTM | 1'31.905 | 1.170 | 0.025 |
| 18 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 1'32.159 | 1.424 | 0.254 |
| 19 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'32.278 | 1.543 | 0.119 |
| 20 | 82 | Mika Kallio | KTM | 1'32.467 | 1.732 | 0.189 |
| 21 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia | 1'32.568 | 1.833 | 0.101 |
| 22 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM | 1'32.887 | 2.152 | 0.319 |
| 23 | 27 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | 1'33.114 | 2.379 | 0.227 |
