He changed a large part of his team, he hired a coach named Sete Gibernau and he even impressed his formidable teammate in his preparation. Marc Márquez. As a result of the winter tests, he is the vice-world champion of the off-season behind the untouchable Casa Particular in Viñales. And during the last test run at Losail, he finished in the top three as the best Honda rider. What if 2017 was the Pedrosa surprise?
To see and the one who, by the way, has never won in Qatar in twelve seasons of MotoGP is the first to temper the predictions. Its 1m 54.469s at 0.139s from Maverick Vinales was certainly good for morale, but building plans on this performance would be built on the sand of Losail: “ we worked well with the team throughout this off-season, including here in Qatar, and we gradually improved the bike and our performances » announces the 31-year-old pilot.
« But it's difficult to predict something based on this, because the level of competition is really high. That said, we have confidence and we want to do well. There are still things to improve here and there on the bike, but they never stop working in Japan and we are in the right direction ».
« We know that this track is dusty, that it is swept by the wind. Its grip has never been extraordinary. Its long straight line with the wind generally in the face requires a large engine ". What Ducatis have and Honda doesn't. However, the two brands each have three victories, the prize going to Yamaha with no less than seven victories, including four in the last five years.
#QatarGP Times:
Here are the times in French time.
Thursday March 23:
16:00 – 16:40 Moto3 Free Practice 1
16:55 – 17:40 Moto2 Free Practice 1
17:55 – 18:40 MotoGP Free Practice 1
18:55 – 19:35 Moto3 Free Practice 2
19:50 – 20:35 Moto2 Free Practice 2
Friday 24:
16:00 – 16:45 MotoGP Free Practice 2
17:00 – 17:40 Moto3 Free Practice 3
17:55 – 18:40 Moto2 Free Practice 3
18:55 – 19:40 MotoGP Free Practice 3
Saturday 25:
16:00 – 16:40 p.m. Moto3 Qualifying
16:55 – 17:40 p.m. Moto2 Qualifying
17:55 – 18:25 MotoGP Free Practice 4
18:35 – 18:50 MotoGP Qualifying 1
19:00 – 19:15 MotoGP Qualifying 2
Attention, passage to thesummer time Sunday, March 26 (We move forward one hour: at 2 a.m., it is 3 a.m.)
Sunday 26:
14pm – 50am Moto15 Warm Up
15pm – 25am Moto15 Warm Up
16:00 – 16:20 MotoGP Warm Up
17:00 Moto3 Race 18 laps (2/3 12 laps) 96,8 km
18:20 Moto2 Race 20 laps (2/3 13 laps) 107,6 km
20:00 MotoGP Race 22 laps 118,4 km
