BASTIANINI WITHIN TOP SIX, DIGGIA THREE TENTHS AWAY FROM TOP TEN
The opening day of free practice for the Italian GP took place today under scorching conditions. The two standard bearers of Team Gresini Racing MotoGP had great feeling with both bike and track, especially Enea Bastianini who was immediately among today’s protagonists, while Fabio Di Giannantonio was able to show some great speed in his debut at his home track on a MotoGP bike.
Enea finished sixth in today’s combined times (FP1 and FP2), half a second away on today’s top rider Espargaró. His 1’46.395secs lap-time – set in the afternoon session – was eight tenths of a second quicker than the one clocked this morning. There is still work to do for the three-time MotoGP race winner ahead of tomorrow, especially in sector three where he is currently not shining.
A full second separates Di Giannantonio (1’46.915secs) from the top of the timesheets, but Q2 is currently only around two tenths away. There is still margin to improve tomorrow in FP3, especially if temperatures drops down a little – as he will take to the track with a brand-new livery.
6th – ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’46.395 / + 0.504)
“I’m quite happy: both feeling and pace were there from the get-go, so we didn’t make big adjustments to the bike. It was really hot out there; I cannot remember a day as scorching as today in Mugello… We struggled a bit more than expected with the tyres, but overall I’m happy. We didn’t get everything right in our time attack, especially in sector three. Right now we’re in Q2, but I think tomorrow morning things will improve a lot. I’m having problems trusting the front-end at the ‘Arrabbiata’ corners, but aside from that we’re in a good place.”
16th – FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’46.915 / + 1.024)
“To be racing here is fantastic, truly special. This morning I took things easier in order to understand where I was performance-wise: and wow! Joking aside, we struggled at the start of the day especially at cornering, as the bike was moving a lot. We improved in the afternoon, but there’s still plenty of work to do as this is a key area at this track.”
