Bautista does his best qualifying for a spot on the seventh row with the nineteenth best time. Eighth row for Melandri
Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), 18 April 2015 – Saturday qualifiers for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini leading up to the Argentinian GP.
After the last two free practice sessions which both Melandri and Bautista spent looking for the best setups for the race tomorrow, the Spaniard rode his RS-GP to the 19th best time in qualifiers that determine the starting order on the grid. This is his best result in this early phase of the season which has the V4 from Noale making its début and it earns him the best spot on the seventh row. Marco Melandri, who closed the gap behind the pack throughout the weekend, finished with the 24th best time, placing himself on the eighth row.
ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“It was a good day. We lapped the entire day with good times, improving the bikes compared to yesterday and also identifying directions for development of the chassis. I would say that the qualifiers were good for both riders. Both Alvaro and Marco were a bit disappointed because of a few tenths of a second lost during their good laps, but at the moment it is encouraging to see the gaps closing behind those who are in front of us. I’m also pleased that Marco is gradually closing the gap behind his team mate. That is very important for us.”
FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“We worked a lot in various directions. Both to improve performance and to have the most possible data to work with when we get back home. All in all I’m pleased with the qualifiers. Tomorrow will be a difficult race to manage in terms of tyre wear and I think that we’ll even be able to improve compared to the practice sessions. I’m happy that Marco has gotten significantly closer to the pack in front of him. It is encouraging even if we know how much work we need to do to improve.”
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We worked hard and well. In the morning we tried a chassis setup which was quite different than yesterday to improve performance in turns and we were able to gain a bit. In FP4 we tested with the hard front tyre to see if it might be an option for the race, but I didn’t feel very confident with it so we’ll be using the medium tomorrow. In the qualifiers I just tried to be as precise as possible. It’s a shame that in the two good laps I lost a few tenths, but it is still a good day. Looking after the tyres will be essential tomorrow, especially in the first laps.”
MARCO MELANDRI
“I thought I would have improved more compared to yesterday, especially in the qualifiers. We need to find more grip at the rear and to improve stability in order to close out the turns better. This is a fundamental condition for me to be able to really push.”
