The PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team duo of Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli have made a speedy start to action at the Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, ending the opening day of track action at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli second and fifth respectively on the time sheets.
Fastest two weeks ago at a test at the Misano track, Quartararo wasted no time getting back into the swing of things despite less favourable track conditions, ending this morning’s FP1 session fastest and coming home second overall at the end of the day. Still hoping to make some steps forward tomorrow as he works to compensate for the reduced grip level, he’s confident going into qualifying that he’ll be once again right in the mix.
Building on his own successful third place finish at the test, Morbidelli was also able to quickly find a comfortable feeling with his Yamaha YZR-M1 to finish the day fifth. Working to learn how the bike reacts over race distance instead of concentrating on one-lap speed, he’s nonetheless also happy that he’ll be able to up his pace in qualifying.
Action continues at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli tomorrow with free practice at 0955 local time (1555 Malaysian time) and qualifying at 1410 local time (2010 Malaysian time), ahead of Sunday’s 27-lap San Marino Grand Prix at 1400 local time (2000 Malaysian time).
Franco Morbidelli – #21
5th (1’33.524)
“It was a positive first day for us. This morning we tried some set-up elements that didn’t feel so good, but we got it right towards the end. I was able to get going strongly in the second session to see how the tyres react in higher temperatures and after a few laps. I felt comfortable and I’m having fun on the bike, and that’s resulting in me riding nice and smoothly. The time attack is still my weak point, but we can improve in tomorrow morning’s practice, with the target to qualify in the front two rows. It’s been a good Friday for Yamaha, with four riders in the top five. It’ll be important to understand the grip levels tomorrow before we know for sure what result we can achieve on Sunday.”
Fabio Quartararo – #20
2nd (1’32.832)
“It was a positive first day for us. This morning we tried some set-up elements that didn’t feel so good, but we got it right towards the end. I was able to get going strongly in the second session to see how the tyres react in higher temperatures and after a few laps. I felt comfortable and I’m having fun on the bike, and that’s resulting in me riding nice and smoothly. The time attack is still my weak point, but we can improve in tomorrow morning’s practice, with the target to qualify in the front two rows. It’s been a good Friday for Yamaha, with four riders in the top five. It’ll be important to understand the grip levels tomorrow before we know for sure what result we can achieve on Sunday.”
