Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Duo Double Down in Indian GP Practice Session

22-09-2023

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Duo Double Down in Indian GP Practice Session

It was an eventful first day of MotoGP action at the Buddh International Circuit for the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team. Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli secured 8th and 14th place in the Practice session, allowing the Frenchman to get straight into tomorrow‘s Q2, while the Italian will have to take part in Q1.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo made a strong comeback in the Practice session at the Buddh International Circuit. He secured 8th place, earning him a spot in Q2. Franco Morbidelli was also challenging for a top-10 result but ended the afternoon session in 14th place, which puts him on the entry list for Q1.

As a technical issue had cost Quartararo and Morbidelli valuable time in the extended morning session, they had to double down in the afternoon.

Quartararo soon featured in the top 4 in the Practice session, showing great skill in quickly adapting to the track in the afternoon heat. Taking a liking to the Buddh circuit, he soon got into a good rhythm. He used most of the session to make up for the track time lost in the morning and managed to be in good shape once the time attack commenced. Though not able to set the perfect lap he had in mind, he still clocked a 1‘45.291s on lap 24/29. It earned him eighth, 0.509s from first.

Morbidelli found himself in circumstances similar to his teammate‘s. He was determined to get in as many laps as possible during the afternoon session to get familiar with the ’new‘ circuit. The hot conditions and low grip levels took some getting used to, but the Italian did make a big step and briefly held a top-3 spot. However, as the times dropped, his fastest lap of the session, a 1‘45.576s set on lap 26/27, was not enough to keep him listed as one of the provisional Q2 entrants. He ranked 14th in the classifications, 0.794s from today‘s best time.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP duo will be back on track tomorrow for FP2 from 10:40 - 11:10 local track time (GMT +5:30). The qualifying sessions are held from 11:20 - 12:00 and are followed by the Sprint starting at 15:30.

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"The day didn‘t start super good. I only completed about nine laps in the morning, so to learn this difficult track in the afternoon was not easy. Physically the track is not very tough, it‘s just the heat. I had to get straight into the game, and we achieved our goal of getting straight into Q2, so it was a pretty good day. Hopefully we can fight for a spot on the front three rows tomorrow and fight for a great result in the Sprint."

Franco Morbidelli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"It was very hot out there. Apart from this, it was a good day. I had good speed with used tyres and also in the first time attack. But things didn‘t work out for us later on. Many rivals were able to improve. I improved a little, step by step, time attack by time attack, but it was not enough. I think I rode alone a bit too much today. I was confident in my own speed and didn‘t get a tow. I think that would have been really helpful to get into the top 10."

Massimo Meregalli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Team Director

"We didn‘t have the best of starts to the Indian GP. We lost a lot of time due to an issue related to transmission. The problem was completely fixed for the afternoon session, but it did mean we had a lot of work to catch up on. Fabio took well to the track and, despite the time we lost, he still managed to secure a spot in Q2. Franky made a good step too, considering the time he had, but in the end it was not enough for a place in Q2. We will have to work this evening to go over the data we collected in order to prepare setting tweaks for tomorrow‘s FP2. We want to make the most of the available track time so our riders feel ready for qualifying and the Sprint. The track conditions will improve every session, and we expect to get stronger as the grip increases, as that plays into our hands."