ALEIX ESPARGARÓ RIDES OUTSTANDING QUALIFIERS BUT MISSES Q2 BY 40 THOUSANDTHS
The outcome of Espargaró’s assault on Q2 was decided twice by thousandths of a second. In the morning in FP3, when he missed going straight through to the final qualifiers by 82 thousandths and then in Q1 when a pass on the decisive lap forced him into third place with a time of 1’38.389, just 40 thousandths behind Viñales, who took the spot that pushed him through Q2. Aleix is well aware of the potential to have an Aprilia RS-GP in the race tomorrow ready to make a play for his chances, partially because of the good pace achieved on used tyres in the last free practice session.
Scott Redding finished with a time of 1’39.918, hindered by a lack of grip today, and he will start from the ninth row.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“I am happy. The bike has improved a lot since yesterday. Even in the session this morning, we were close to the leaders and we missed going straight through to Q2 by a few thousandths. In the last free practice session, I maintained a very good pace with the used tyres. Then in Q1 I was just 40 thousandths short of going through, with a lot of strong riders like Dovizioso and Viñales and with a time that was not far from the ones on the front rows. Yes, I am satisfied and I think that tomorrow we’ll be able to do a good race. We worked well and my Aprilia has improved. We will need to have a good start and maintain a good pace. Especially in the second half, we will really be able to be competitive and aim for a good result.”
SCOTT REDDING
“We need to try and understand where our problems are coming from. I don’t have grip at the rear in any condition and I can’t push because things get worse. I don’t know if it’s a matter of working on the setup or on tyre choice. Right now the limit is insurmountable. In the morning, with lower temperatures, grip improves a bit, but in race conditions I really struggle to ride. I can’t find any excuses with the track because the other riders manage to be fast and even Aleix has improved a lot from yesterday, so the asphalt conditions are OK.”
