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Everything done in 45 minutes! With the decision to revert to the Formula 1 chicane layout, the FP1 and FP2 times are no longer considered in the combined times for direct access to Q2. Only the FP3 times are valid, so the session already seems like an appetizer for the afternoon qualifiers.
You can be sure that no one was bored in a session where there was no lack of surprises. The first astonishing thing is that not even one Yamaha is in the top ten spots. In fact, Viñales (+0.711) was unable to go farther than his thirteenth best time, seven tenths behind the leader, complaining of serious difficulties with the front end.
Rossi, on the other hand, made a mistake on his final attempt with the medium and soft tyre, finishing fifteenth (+0.875). The same is true of the two Tech3 M1 machines with Folger eleventh at just 23 thousandths behind the tenth best time set by Barbera and Zarco finishing behind the Doctor. To add insult to injury, the Frenchman was also victim of a crash on the ninth turn that cost him some time. It simply could not have gone any worse.
Marc Marquez, on the other hand, is a certainty, still the best after setting the bar on Friday. With medium and soft tyre, the Spaniard pulled a time of 1’44”178 out of his hat, about three tenths faster than the old track layout. Despite an inconsequential crash on turn 10, the five-time world championship was a rocket, a tenth of a second faster than Dani Pedrosa (+0.101), making a great comeback compared to yesterday. The two Hondas are in the sights of the team Aspar Ducati ridden by Alvaro Bautista, who decided to rely on a soft front and rear tyre.
The Spaniard is just 14 thousandths ahead of Aleix Espargaró and his Aprilia, who demonstrated that he is as fast on the flying lap as the best today. This is an encouraging sign for the Manufacturer from Noale after the bitter taste left behind in Mugello.
The two factory Ducatis were also on hand, with Andrea Dovizioso (+0.437) riding his GP17 ahead of Jorge Lorenzo’s in the finale. Only eight thousandths separate the two teammates. There was also a ray of sunlight for Suzuki and Andrea Iannone (+0.478), eighth ahead of the ‘Reds’ ridden by Redding (+0.498) and Petrucci (+0.503). The Italian rider was involved in a bit of a clash with Abraham at the start of the session, giving the Czech rider the finger for having blocked him on the chicane.
There is no doubt that we will see some great action in Q1! Besides the Yamahas, Cal Crutchlow’s Honda will also be there (12th, +0.625) to have a go at a spot in Q2. The Brit was unlucky, only twelfth a more than half a second from Marquez’s Factory ride.
