After a first day in the cold, the second chapter of the Austrian Grand Prix ended under the sun and ideal temperature. The conditions were therefore ripe to improve the times achieved on Friday.
Some things to remember from Saturday at Spielberg…
Yamaha stands up to Ducati, Honda is not far away
“This morning we tried to change some things on the bike to improve acceleration, but we suffered. We did a good job this afternoon with the team,” says Valentino Red at the end of the day. “I’ve been feeling good since Friday. I think the strongest drivers of the season will occupy the first two rows tomorrow and that could make for a good race. »
On the front row, the Yamaha rider will start between the two official Ducatis of Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso. If the man from Tavullia wants to fight for victory by remaining in contact and in the aspiration of the D16GP, he also expects to have to stand up to his two rivals for the title, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez, who are will start from the second row.
Jorge Lorenzo also stood up to the Ducati in Q2, “The situation is different from the test,” He explains. “We found new settings, the temperature was perfect… all the conditions were met today. » The Majorcan emphasizes that he will have to maintain a better pace tomorrow in order to be level with his rivals over the duration of the race.
To try to achieve this, the choice of tires will be an important parameter at the end of the race (28 laps). The Ducatis had also suffered during the test on this track with the Michelins which were destroyed after a few laps, “I think Michelin worked well during the break,” Explain Andrea Iannone. “I tried the soft and the hard today and I have a good feeling on both. »
The Ducatis seem to be able to maintain a high pace on worn tires. Andrea Dovizioso affirms it, “We have good speed and it is usually important to try to manage tire wear as best as possible,” He added.
During FP3, Marc Marquez almost hit his teammate Dani Pedrosa at turn 3, “It’s all my fault,” he said. “Dani was way ahead. He made a mistake, widened, then slowed down on the outside trajectory. I also widened, a classic mistake on this turn. Dani was there and I fell to avoid a big crash. »
Marquez dislocated the same shoulder as during the British Grand Prix in 2013, “The shoulder is fine. I dislocated my left shoulder, but the right is more painful due to the impact. This isn't the first time I've had it dislocated. When I got on the scooter, she recovered. »
To close the gap on the Ducatis, Marquez is forced to brake at the limit, “This circuit is not the best for us. We still have to understand how to approach the race tomorrow. We will try to be as close as possible to Yamaha, because we are not that far away. »
Note that this is the Spaniard's worst qualifying result since the 2015 Italian Grand Prix.
Consumption harms power
Jorge Lorenzo broke down after taking the checkered flag in Q2, “We don’t know yet what happened, but it could be a problem tomorrow,” explains the reigning Champion.
On the Ducati side, Andrea Dovizioso precise, “We worked on this point during FP3 and FP4 and we found a compromise allowing us to guarantee sufficient engine power. »
To Loris Baz, who will announce his extension with the Avintia team for 2017 tomorrow morning, “It's a problem that we encounter on all circuits, but we will still have to work on this point. This will reduce our power when we normally seek to obtain more. »
Respect for the rules
Around 22 p.m., the SKY VR46 team issued a press release announcing the suspension of Romano Fenati for non-compliance with rules within the team. The Italian will therefore not start the race tomorrow.
According to our information, there would have been friction between the pilot and the members of the team (and not the pilots). Worse, Fenati would even be ousted from the team and would have to find another handlebar. The SKY VR46 team is reportedly looking for a new driver to replace it from next week's Czech Grand Prix.
It's a safe bet that this driver could be Marco Bezzecchi who is competing in this Austrian Grand Prix as a wildcard for Mahindra. Bezzecchi is already involved with the VR46 Riders Academy.
This is not the team's first layoff. In 2014, it separated from Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager), then from Rossano Brazzi, chief mechanic of Romano Fenati at that time.
Still according to our information, Fenati was to join his former teammate Francesco Bagnaia in Moto2 next season by supporting the creation of a Moto2 SKY VR46 structure. If this separation is confirmed, the Moto2 team project could be limited to just one driver...
Zarco in pole position
“I don’t want to be the victim of overconfidence that would cause me to lose my humility,” says Johann zarco after qualifying. “I've really had fun on the bike since Friday. It's a technical circuit despite its appearance and the asphalt is very good: I can take angles and that gives me the adrenaline necessary to have fun. »
In his last eight poles, Zarco has won seven and reached the 2nd step of the podium once. With 25 points ahead of Rins in the standings, Zarco is wary, “I'm just focusing on my race, having fun and trying to gain an advantage from the first laps. But, in my opinion, you have to be careful with Rins. He may be 9th on the grid, he has good pace and is capable of accomplishing great things. »
The radio ?
Dorna is considering allowing teams to send information to drivers directly on their dashboard. This already exists today since the introduction of the bidirectional transponder in 2014. This transponder allows information to be received from the motorcycle, but also allows it to be sent to it.
The objective is to provide general safety information such as a yellow or red flag or other data more specific to a particular driver such as a black or blue flag depending on his position on the track. In 2015, Jordi Sais, head of Dorna's Timekeeping unit, already told us he wanted to test sending messages from teams.
On the pilots' side, opinions are divided, “I think it might be helpful.” Firstly for safety reasons, but also to give some instructions in rainy weather for example,” entrusts Valentino Rossi. “I'm even for the radio, because I think it's important during races where it rains. »
To Maverick Vinales, “This should be limited to traditional information only. Apart from that, it should not interfere with the rider's behavior on the motorcycle. » Andrea Dovizioso is of the same opinion as the Spaniard. For Eugene Laverty, that “depends on the type of message sent. »
This team-driver dashboard communication system should be tested during one of the next Grands Prix, probably in Aragon.
