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Category: Moto GP
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#CatalanGP qualifying. Was Mugello’s pole position a coincidence? Not really. Coincidences do not really exist in MotoGP, and Fabio Di Giannantonio proved it by showing some scintillating form on the single-lap again as he qualified fifth for tomorrow’s Catalan GP race – and was only 0.357secs shy from Espargaró’s pole position.
This is a true display of power for the rider #49, who has always been better known for the race comebacks than the qualifying performances. The wind is changing, however, and the Rome-born rider will sleep tight tonight knowing he will line up close to the front of the grid.
Enea Bastianini, on the other hand, had a much more challenging Saturday, as he narrowly missed on Q2 first in FP3 and then in Q1 – as he was only 0.023secs shy of making it through. With a good race pace on his side, however, the Italian will try to get a good start and be aggressive early on – for what hopefully be another successful comeback.
5th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’39.099s)
“Even though we don’t have to prove anything to anybody, it was important to confirm our growth and what better way to do so than by putting together another good qualifying such as today. We’re working well, changing very little on the bike and we can do well tomorrow. Surely we still need to improve our pace a bit more, especially in the second half of the race. The warm up will give us some reassurance also on tyre selection.”
14th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’39.246s)
“Too bad, because we had another type of result in mind. It’s a shame also for the last lap because I found a rider ahead of me at turn 3 who was roaming around, and I couldn’t improve. We should have made it into Q2 already from this morning, but it didn’t happen. The pace is good, the race is long so we can recover many positions. We will surely need a strong start and some attack-mode early on.”
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APRILIA RACING, A BETTER START WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO FIND
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ AND MAVERICK VIÑALES FIRST AND SECOND RESPECTIVELY ON THE FIRST DAY IN BARCELONA
The GP of Catalunya weekend kicked off in the best possible way for Aprilia Racing with their riders in first and second place in the standings after the first two practice sessions.
On a track characterised, as always, by poor grip, both Aleix and Maverick dedicated a lot of time in the two sessions preparing for the race, especially in terms of tyre management, one of the factors that could prove to be decisive in the race.
In any case, both demonstrated great speed, resulting in the two best times of the day and already clear in the morning session, where Maverick finished with the second best time and Aleix with the fourth best. The two did even better in the faster second session, occupying the first two spots and also demonstrating an outstanding race pace.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
1st - 1'39.402
"It’s always important to start well and to find the right feeling with the bike and with the track. Obviously it’s only Friday, but Maverick and I were both competitive and that renders merit to the team’s hard work. On this track grip is really low, so tyre choice and how to manage them to the end of the race are fundamental issues. Now we’ll have to carefully analyse the spin levels and the speed on corners for each different tyre in order to make the right choices and set up the best strategy."
MAVERICK VIÑALES
2nd - 1'39.705
"I am very, very happy and not just because of the fast lap. On this track, the true difference will be made by knowing how to manage the tyres and from this point of view, we’ve done a good job. I’m convinced that tomorrow in FP3 the times will drop even lower. When you put the new tyre on here, it almost seems like you’re riding a different bike! In any case, we’ll keep moving forward. We’re on the right track and it would be fantastic to take that last step right here, on my home track and with my fan club trackside cheering me on."
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#CatalanGP libere. Because of the location and time of the year, the eighth round of the season at Montmeló is once again characterised by scorching temperatures (27ºC), which were partially mitigated by a light breeze. The first day was marked by uncertainty and very levelled performance, with 15 riders covered by only one second.
Enea Bastianini’s Catalan Grand Prix started on the right foot as he set the third-quickest time (1’39.890secs) and was the best positioned Ducati rider in the timesheets, despite having margin to improve both in the time attack and with regards to the race pace.
Fabio Di Giannantonio also did a good job as he was 0.944secs away from the top and only four tenths in arrears from his teammate. Tomorrow, as usual, the FP3 session will be crucial for a direct access to Q2, while Free Practice 4 will be extremely important for tyre selection ahead of the race.
3rd - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’39.890)
“I’m happy with today: we started off well already this morning, even though all Ducati riders have struggled a little bit more than expected. We did very well in FP2, though. We still have to improve a bit in some areas of the circuit and with regards to race pace, but I must be happy with this Friday. We tried both the medium and the rear tyre options and I’m still not sure what I’ll choose for the race: I felt good with the medium one in FP1, while I was expecting a bit more from the hard tyre. We will have to make a good evaluation.”
13th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’40.346)
“I’m happy, because we did very little modification and when that happens it means that things are going well. I have a good feeling and in the afternoon we only used one tyre because the heat wouldn’t have allowed us to set a good time anyway. I also tried the hard tyre, but we will have a clearer idea in FP4. Right now we’re working on making it into Q2 directly, which is a realistic goal.”
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Enea Bastianini’s comeback drew to a close with ten laps to go as the Italian rider lost the front-end of his Ducati machine at turn four and found himself – uninjured – in the gravel. This is quite a disappointing result as the #23, who was the only rider with a soft rear tyre, was able to recover six places after what was surely not the best start to the encounter. Today’s DNF has a big impact in his championship situation, but with Montmeló around the corner there will be a chance to make amends.
Fabio Di Giannantonio’s result has a completely different taste, as the MotoGP rookie was starting from pole position in this year’s #ItalianGP. The #49 of Team Gresini Racing MotoGP was able to hold the pressure in the early stages and stay towards the front. He was eleventh at the finish line, his so-far best result in the premier class as he adds more points to his tally after the ones scored in Le Mans.
DNF ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (3rd in the championship standings with 94 points)
“It’s a shame: we had a great pace, and I was fast. Unfortunately, I got sucked into by Aleix’s slipstream and got a bit too quick into turn four, and that led to my front-end tuck. With clear track ahead I was really fast, while it’s always hard in the slipstream at Mugello.
11th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (20th in the championship standings with 8 points)
“First of all, it’s great to start on pole at Mugello and lead on the opening lap. That and the Mugello crowed were really impactful on this experience. Too bad for the race, as I think a faulty tyre made things a bit more difficult. I never found the same feeling I had throughout the weekend and I struggled in keeping the bike stable. We could have stayed in the second group and battle for 7th/8th place, but we still made another step forward.”
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#ItalianGP qualifying. Team Gresini MotoGP does not cease to surprise by claiming the second pole position of the season today at Mugello. This time, however, it is Fabio Di Giannantonio the one taking centre stage: the Italian rider, who has always done incredibly well around the Tuscan hills, was supremely fast both in Q1 and Q2, and at the last attempt before the qualifying chequered flag, he logged a truly incredible lap-time. The Rome-born rider will have clear track ahead when lining up on the #ItalianGP grid tomorrow.
Enea Bastianini also put together a good performance, as the three-time MotoGP race winner was seeded directly into Q2 despite two crashes. The #23 well managed the tricky conditions of the track and secured an encouraging 10th place ahead of tomorrow’s race. His main rivals for the title are not too far away (6th and 7th).
POLE - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’46.156)
“I knew I could do well because I really love this track and I wanted to score a good result here. We have been working well in every session so far – FP1 aside. I was expecting to do a good job, but surely not to take pole position. We did a crazy Q1 and an incredible Q2. I was laser focused, I wasn’t even seeing the drops of rain and in the end this moment of joy came. I would like to dedicate this achievement to everyone who has been supporting me!”
10th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’46.679)
“We’ll be a bit behind on the grid, but we worked well and I’m quite happy with my race pace. The two crashes surely didn’t help, and track conditions in qualifying were really challenging. I would like to congratulate Fabio because he really did some great laps: I will look at his data today, too, to understand where we can improve. Surely we miss something on corner entry in the third sector, but we’ll be part of the game tomorrow – and we need a good start to the race.”
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