A cloudy sky, autumnal temperatures having great difficulty reaching 10 degrees, it was a real return to school weather which welcomed the MotoGP in Austria. Enough to quickly forget the summer break. On a Red Bull Ring track that is both appreciated for its design and feared for its lack of clearances, it was Viñales who achieved the best time.
Low temperatures, new Michelin tires and a modified final corner crossed out the benchmarks that appeared during preliminary tests carried out on the Austrian track at the end of July. Everything needs to be written and while we were still waiting for the powerful Ducati, it was the agile Suzuki which laid down the law with a reference time of 1'25.866. A great performance from Maverick Vinales since the other GSX-RR led by Aleix Espargaro is only fifteenth.
Dovizioso follows at 79 thousandths as well as Iannone while Red is in the game by integrating the leading square. Yonny Hernandez closes the top 5 at Marc Márquez which is making its mark since it was not from the discovery tests last July. In pain, Lorenzo is seventh after a session spent outside the top 10 while Miller, Petrucci and Pirro close the first part of the ranking.
Crutchlow leads the rest of the peloton ahead of Redding and the Tech3 duo. Loris Baz is sixteenth at the end of a year marked by falls in Bradl, Laverty and Pedrosa. The latter's accident damaged an inflatable protection so that the session was interrupted for a few minutes. As for the gadin of the first, it revealed a turn 3 with non-existent clearances. The three pilots were unhurt. But for Pedrosa, the weekend begins with one last place.
Red Bull Ring, MotoGP, FP1: Chronos
1. Maverick Vinales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 25.866s [T 16/19] 306km/h
2. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 1m 25.945s +0.079s [15/16] 311km/h
3. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 1m 26.077s +0.211s [20/22] 306km/h
4. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 26.232s +0.366s [22/22] 302km/h
5. Yonny Hernandez COL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 26.306s +0.440s
[15/24] 303km/h
6. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 26.337s +0.471s [15/25] 306km/h
7. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 26.375s +0.509s [20/21] 307km/h
8. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 26.438s +0.572s
[7/21] 304km/h
9. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 26.493s +0.627s
[6/25] 301km/h
10. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP) 1m 26.620s +0.754s [20/20] 308km/h
11. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 26.734s +0.868s [8/24] 304km/h
12. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 26.860s +0.994s
[19/21] 304km/h
13. Espargaro Pol ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 26.880s +1.014s [12/25] 306km/h
14. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 26.995s +1.129s [10/23] 304km/h
15. Alex Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 27.067s +1.201s [11/17] 300km/h
16. Loris Baz FRA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 27.997s +2.131s
[7/23] 296km/h
17. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 28.229s +2.363s [6/21] 301km/h
18. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 28.492s +2.626s
[20/22] 306km/h
19. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 1m 28.731s +2.865s
[8/25] 302km/h
20. Stefan bradl GER Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 28.761s +2.895s [7/18] 301km/h
21. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP14.2) 1m 30.206s +4.340s
[5/7] 302km/h
22. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 31.293s +5.427s [5/9] 298km/h
