It's a nice surprise on a windy Thursday evening at Qatar. The first game of the year in MotoGP saw Loris Baz establish himself among the greats with a strong performance: his 1'55.624 placed him in sixth place, just 0.017s behind a Lorenzo equipped with the GP17 which almost had the leadership role at Ducati stolen by the Frenchman in GP15. Since then, the tricolor has been doing the rain dance...
Because the teammate of a Barbera returning from injury admits to having played to attempt Q2 entry: “ In anticipation of the weather forecasting to be difficult, I opted for a tire that helped me get into the Top 10. I didn't think I would be able to be that fast, but I felt confident. I'm comfortable and I know that there is still room for improvement, particularly with the medium tire. I give a positive assessment of this first session ».
It was a good thing for him, but nothing was easy: “ the grip was really bad at the start of the session and the sensations were frankly different from those experienced during the last tests. So we waited for the track to clean up. The wind was also blowing stronger than a week ago and it was difficult to find the best braking points. Finally, I had technical problems with my second motorcycle ».
« But it remains a good circuit for the Ducatis because they are fast in a straight line. I don't benefit so much because I'm tall, but it also proves that top speed is not their only quality. We made some modifications which seem to have worked, particularly on the electronics ».
What is taken is no longer to be taken and so the rain may well fall tomorrow. However, the downpour remains a concern: “ in case of rain, I think we will have to try to ride. When it comes to safety, it’s not just reflections that pose a problem. I think grip will also be problematic in the wet and I know I'm not the only one who thinks so. We will have to test and we will draw conclusions ».
With this performance, Loris Baz was also the best of the two Frenchmen involved since John Zarco was satisfied with the eighth performance.
Qatar J1 Ranking:
1. Maverick Viñales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 54.316s [Lap 17/18] 335km/h (Top Speed)
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 54.912s +0.596s [17/18] 338km/h
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 55.210s +0.894s [15/16] 338km/h
4. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 55.587s +1.271s [15/15] 333km/h
5. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 55.607s +1.291s [15/17] 343km/h
6. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 55.624s +1.308s [16/16] 334km/h
7. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 55.639s +1.323s [15/15] 334km/h
8. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 55.792s +1.476s [17/18] 334km/h
9. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 55.799s +1.483s [18/18] 340km/h
10. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 55.872s +1.556s [14/15] 332km/h
11. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 55.873s +1.557s [5/17] 343km/h
12. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 56.000s +1.684s [16/16] 340km/h
13. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 56.027s +1.711s [16/17] 335km/h
14. Alvaro Bautista ESP Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 56.128s +1.812s [17/19] 344km/h
15. Karel Abraham CZE Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 56.399s +2.083s [14/14] 338km/h
16. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 56.419s +2.103s [8/15] 342km/h
17. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 56.453s +2.137s [10/16] 335km/h
18. Alex Rins ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 1m 56.502s +2.186s [15/16] 335km/h
19. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 56.725s +2.409s [17/18] 336km/h
20. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 56.725s +2.409s [13/14] 342km/h
21. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 57.630s +3.314s [11/16] 335km/h
22. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 1m 57.887s +3.571s [12/14] 331km/h
23. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 58.114s +3.798s [17/17] 333km/h
