#SpanishGP MotoGP FP1: Honda dominates in the rain!

The rain that fell during Moto1 FP3 left MotoGP with a still wet track.

The sky is gray and it is 18° both in the air and on the track for this first free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix.

This is also the first 2017 session since Valentino Rossi took command of the championship in Austin. On a circuit that he particularly likes and where he won the event last year, it will be interesting to see at what pace the Italian champion will get into the rhythm.

Facing him, Maverick Vinales will be keen to make up for their American blunder while the Honda drivers continue their remake of last year, with a machine that was reluctant at the start of the season but becomes more and more competitive as the meetings progress.

At Ducati, we expect difficult times but we are not giving up, just like at Suzuki where the only remaining starter seems, for the moment, a little less incisive than last year.

Technically, the key to the Grand Prix will go to the one who can best manage skating on this track with precarious grip.

#SpanishGP MotoGP	2016	2017
FP1	1'40.270 Jorge Lorenzo
FP2	1'39.555 Jorge Lorenzo
FP3	1'39.244 Valentino Rossi
FP4	1'39.241 Jorge Lorenzo
Q1	1'39.907 Cal Crutchlow
Q2	1'38.736 Valentino Rossi
Warm Up	1'39.513 Marc Marquez
Course	Rossi, Lorenzo, Marquez
All time lap record	1'37.910 Jorge Lorenzo 2015

 

The drying track does not prevent the majority of drivers from fitting soft rain tires (except Vinales in medium rear) and to test the grip of the Andalusian circuit in these somewhat difficult conditions, even if this meteorological disturbance should not last beyond today.

Surprisingly, we quickly find Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the provisional ranking, with 1'53.900, while Dovizioso, Barbera, Abraham, Lowes and Crutchlow prefer to stay in the box.

After a quarter of an hour, the provisional hierarchy is made up of Lorenzo, Márquez, Vinales, Petrucci, Millard, Folger, Pol Espargaro, Redding and Rossi, when Andrea Dovizioso, barely out of his box, took command in 1'52.925.

With the rain starting to fall again, we think that this duo of official Ducatis at the top of FP1 is likely to last, but that's without counting on this devil of Dani Pedrosa who, in the wheel of his teammate, manages to improve the provisional reference to 1'52.666 then 1'52.308.

We then passed the halfway point when Scott Redding comes to position itself behind the Honda trio of Pedrosa, Márquez and Miller. The latter are followed by the three Ducatis of Redding, Dovizioso and Lorenzo, the first Yamaha only appearing in eighth position behind the Suzuki of Andrea Iannone and even the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro.

Valentino Rossi is even downright 19th, no doubt judging that there is no point in taking risks in these conditions when Saturday and Sunday are expected under the sun.

 

The last quarter of an hour lets see Jonas Folger take command 12 minutes from the checkered flag in 1'52.249.

Five minutes later, Jack Miller lights up all the partials in red, which allows him to position himself at the top of the ranking, in 1'51.807.

Dani Pedrosa retorts by slamming a 1'51.648 that no one will come to harm during the remaining four minutes, including Cal Crutchlow who nevertheless gives everything in the last seconds but fails by 2 thousandths.

In the end, alone Hector Barbera et Karel Abraham chose not to ride.

Ranking compiled by our friends at crash.net:

1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 51.648s [Lap 14/17] 276km/h (Top Speed)
2. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 51.650s +0.002s [12/12] 275km/h
3. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 51.807s +0.159s [11/12] 275km/h
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 51.830s +0.182s [8/8] 279km/h
5. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 51.962s +0.314s [16/17] 276km/h
6. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 52.249s +0.601s [11/16] 276km/h
7. Alex Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 52.350s +0.702s [12/12] 275km/h
8. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 52.353s +0.705s [16/17] 277km/h
9. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 52.359s +0.711s [11/13] 280km/h
10. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 52.555s +0.907s [17/17] 277km/h
11. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 52.684s +1.036s [9/15] 278km/h
12. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 52.834s +1.186s [15/15] 273km/h
13. Johann zarco ENG Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 52.917s +1.269s [17/17] 277km/h
14. Espargaro Pol ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 53.102s +1.454s [18/18] 275km/h
15. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 53.204s +1.556s [13/13] 274km/h
16. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 53.263s +1.615s [16/18] 273km/h
17. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 53.375s +1.727s [12/15] 271km/h
18. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 1m 53.752s +2.104s [8/8] 272km/h
19. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 53.885s +2.237s [17/17] 273km/h
20. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 54.087s +2.439s [16/17] 277km/h
21. Takuya Tsuda JPN Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 54.316s +2.668s [15/19] 271km/h
Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) No Time
Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) No Time