PHILLIP ISLAND DAY1: ENEA PROVISIONALLY IN Q2, GOOD START FOR DIGGIA
#AustralianGP Free Practice. The most typical late winter Phillip Island weather played a part in today’s action for the third-last round of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship. Wind, sun and a few drops of rain characterised the first two sessions of the weekend – which saw both standard bearers of Team Gresini MotoGP as protagonists.
Enea Bastianini was the best-positioned of the two as he clinched a provisional seed to Q2 in his last quick-lap attempt during FP2. He is currently 0.374secs away from the top and sits ninth, a result good enough for some easy rest tonight.
FP3 will represent a chance for Fabio Di Giannantonio to get back in the top positions. This morning, the rider #49 had positively impressive with his pace. His top ten in Free Practice 1 bodes well for the next two days, with Q2 that is currently only 0.270secs away.
9th – ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’29.849s)
“Things went better in the afternoon, when the wind was blowing even stronger. We can be happy with today even though I still lack consistency speed-wise: I haven’t been able to do the same lines each lap, so we’ll have to work on the rear-end of the bike. We normally never make too many changes to that area, but the problem is that even if I lose very little on corner exit, I take it all the way down to the next turn… Turns one, three and the final sector are where the time is really set: there is work to do, especially for turn 12.”
17th – FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’30.158s)
“We started off very well this morning, and the feeling with the bike was excellent. In the afternoon, we lacked the time attack performance, because until halfway we were doing well. When it came to set the quick one, I found myself alone on the track and struggled with the wind. We need to work on the electronics, because the bike moves a lot on corner exit. Our pace is good, but one thing is riding within a group – with the wind not being a factor – the other is to do it on your own. There is margin for improvement.”
