Like the Yamaha troops, Valentino Rossi arrived at Losail to flush out and slay the wolf that has been affecting the M1 since the start of this off-season, but also the end of last season. Except that the animal hid during this first of the three days of testing, leaving Iwata's machine alone, which showed up in the mix. Casa Particular in Viñales thus commands the timesheet and if the Doctor is only seventh, he is also only 379 thousandths behind his teammate…
The demonstration of a more than tight peloton this year while Johann Zarco's Tech3 machine is within firing range. Enough to put a smile on your face, without being reassured. And we feel it in the analysis of the one who lifted the veil on the rest of his career by considering piloting until end of 2020... " It wasn't that bad, the first day was pretty good. We are always very close to the other riders and in the end, I am in seventh position. It's not fantastic, but on this track I feel better. From the first moment, I felt better compared to what I felt in Thailand. I think I was quite competitive in Sepang, we had other problems in Thailand, and here in Qatar the situation is more similar to Sepang, fortunately. Our bike worked well at Sepang, but not at Buriram. In Qatar, she seems to have regained her form. We have not encountered the particular problems that we need to eliminate ».
« Our competitiveness depends a lot on how our motorcycle adapts to the tarmac and tires. Sometimes you have to suffer, other times you are stronger ". By that, mean that it is not versatile on all routes. We will remember that in 2017, two Yamahas monopolized the podium: the winner Viñales and Rossi third…
Massimo Meregalli: “It’s been a long day, but the results are there. After a difficult test in Thailand, we wanted to start this test well, especially since we will start the season here in Qatar in a few weeks. Both riders felt better on the bike than in Buriram, from the start of today's session. The base setup worked well from the start and we were able to get good speed and consistency throughout the day. As always, we think there is still room for improvement when it comes to the chassis and electronics settings. Maverick at the top of the standings and Valentino also at the top of the timesheets is a positive start”.
#QatarTest MotoGP Losail J.1: Chronos
1. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, 1:55,053 min
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,051 sec
3. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0,054
4. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0,133
5. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, 0,370
6. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,379
7. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,379
8. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,475
9. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,483
10. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,492
11. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, +0,502
12. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,635
13. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +0,795
14. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +0,800
15. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +0,878
16. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +0,976
17. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,009
18. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +1,215
19. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +1,222
20. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,368
21. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,555
22. Hafizh Syahrin, Yamaha, +1,678
23. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2,239
24. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +2,660
