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His Yamaha even came in ahead of Valentino Rossi's bike. It might only be day one and it's true that the Doctor wasn't fully fit, but the seventh time set by rookie Jonas Folger hasn't gone unnoticed. The Tech3 rider closed day one a little over ninth tenths from the front, demonstrating continuous growth.
"Today was positive and I'm pleased with what we've done. I immediately felt confident, and didn't need to make any particular changes to the bike. In the afternoon we decided to take a step forward in terms of the front of the bike, in that I'd said I felt I was on the limit, and we also improved in braking”.
What's the next step?
“We have another two days in which to test, but overall I'm very pleased about today. It was also the first time I rode a MotoGP in the wet and I felt competitive with the Michelin tyres”.
What has struck you the most?
“It was important to ride in these conditions because the braking is different. We've collected a ton of data and I've started to understand the bike a lot better”.
Team-mate Johann Zarco closes about half a second behind. The French rider wasn't focusing on times on Monday. Having completed 69 laps, the Moto2 champ closes in fourteenth position.
“The winter break had an effect, I decided to be more cautious today and not go crazy with the throttle. I tried to spend as much time as possible on track, because the aim is to be consistently fast, and not just for two laps. I wasn't as fast as I wanted, but I know that will come and that I have time”.
The weather played a part today.
“It's true, the rain was useful too though, because it allowed me to test in the wet, and sensations were positive. We need to be able to adapt to any situation during race weekends”.
