If, because of the changing weather conditions, it is difficult to draw any real lessons from this first day of testing at Sepang, it will at least have had the merit of allowing the drivers to familiarize themselves with the new surface of the circuit, while reassuring about the level of competitiveness of the latest version of the GSX-RR under high temperatures.
Indeed, the opening free practice session of the Shell Malaysian GP in Sepang today saw the two Hamamatsu drivers record the 2nd and 7th times in the dry, before having to confront a progressively drying track. 'afternoon.
Times are expected to drop significantly tomorrow if the track remains dry, but according to the weather forecast, unstable conditions could prevail until Sunday's race.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager: “Luckily this morning we had at least one session in dry conditions, so we were able to do some preliminary checks and, most importantly, be in the provisional Top 10 with our two drivers. In the afternoon the rain made the track wet before it was about to dry, but never in perfect condition, so it was difficult to manage the session. We decided to do some checks in the wet, and this was useful because these conditions may also be the same for the next two days; so it is also important to be prepared for any sudden changes. At the moment both drivers are feeling good, although the day was a bit slow, but this morning they proved to be efficient. We can only wait until tomorrow to see what the conditions will be like and prepare for the race. »
Maverick Vinales, 2nd: » The day was difficult due to the weather conditions. In the morning we were only able to do the last three laps pushing a bit, and I didn't take any risks in the afternoon because it was too easy to make a mistake and suffer damage. The first impressions are positive, I think we were able to find a good set-up and my times have improved in a positive way. The new tarmac gives a little more grip, but I couldn't quite figure out how it performed in wet conditions; the previous surface dried very quickly, while this one seems to be a little more demanding. At least today we were able to test the durability of the tire, since with the soft tire I felt confident in terms of performance and we almost covered the race distance so that tomorrow we are already on a good starting point to finish the race preparation in terms of regularity. Furthermore, it is good that I was able to do the best lap with a worn tire.”
Aleix Espargaró, 7th: "Today we weren't able to do many laps in completely dry conditions, so we are still missing a lot of information and need to work. This morning, at the start of the session, I didn't feel completely confident, but later we managed to find a more comfortable set-up, which allowed me to improve my times and finish the session in the Top10. In the end, the feeling is ok, we were also able to test the durability of the tire and it seems ok for me, while during the afternoon we spent our time trying to get sensations in the wet with the new surface, and to verify our information. There was no point taking risks in the wet conditions, so we only validated the basic settings in order to have information for tomorrow in case of new changing conditions.
