Solid Start to Sepang Weekend for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP on Mixed Friday

21-10-2022

Solid Start to Sepang Weekend for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP on Mixed Friday

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli were off to a good start in today‘s Grand Prix of Malaysia, showing positive pace in both mixed and dry track conditions. They secured 7th and 12th place in the combined FP timesheets.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli were in good spirits at the Sepang International Circuit today. They were setting provisional fastest times early on in the morning session without doing a time attack, putting them in 7th and 12th place. With drying track conditions in the afternoon after a heavy downpour, it was impossible to improve their time. Instead, they focused on their wet set-ups and finished the first day of the Grand Prix feeling ready for whatever weather they may face tomorrow.

Quartararo‘s objective is to have fun at the Malaysian circuit this weekend, and it showed in FP1. The Frenchman was top of the rankings for most of the session. In the final minutes, many other riders put in a time attack. The Frenchman‘s best time, a 2‘00.543s set on lap 7/18, kept him in seventh place, 1.064s from first.

Knowing full well that a time improvement in the combined standings wouldn‘t be possible when the FP2 session turned out to be damp, the Frenchman was keen to use the 45 minutes to tune his bike‘s wet set-up. The track was drying quickly throughout the session though, so he had to adapt his riding every lap. Other riders changed to slicks in the final minutes. El Diablo opted to end the session on wets and posted a best time of 2‘09.753s on lap 18/18. It put him 4.043s behind the fastest rider on slicks.

Morbidelli bounced back from a difficult weekend in Australia with a strong FP1 session. He set a provisional fastest lap before focusing on his race pace. As the Italian improved his time, he alternated between the spots from fourth to sixth until the final stages, when other riders got in a hot lap with new tyres. As the number-21 rider didn‘t partake in this action, he completed the session with a 2‘00.771s best time, set on lap 6/17, 1.292s from the top.

Morbido wasn‘t able to negotiate a spot in the top 10 due to the mixed track conditions at the start of FP2, but he didn‘t let that keep him from putting his best foot forward. The Yamaha man was putting in solid lap times, with a personal best of 2‘09.390s on lap 14/17. The lap showed his pace as it was set whilst still riding on wets on a mostly dry track. It left him 3.680s off the fastest FP2 time.

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"On the dry, my feeling is good. I was able to push straight away. The first run in the afternoon was difficult, but from my second run on, I was immediately much faster. I wanted to put on slicks at the end of the session, but there were only 7 minutes remaining and I didn't want to stop for just one or two laps. So, I decided to keep going. We often struggle in mixed conditions with wet patches on track, and it was much better at the end. In the end, it was a good day. I was just enjoying myself quite a lot today."

Franco Morbidelli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"It was a positive Friday. I just missed the Q2 by 0.004s whilst I hadn't even put new tyres on. Then in the afternoon, I was really, really fast in the wet conditions, so I can't complain about today. Also during our worst weekends, we always have a moment when we're quick and we smile, but today it was a particularly bright moment. I hope it lasts."

Massimo Meregalli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"We had a plan in place for this GP and we stuck with it, but the rain spoiled it. While others chose to get a hot lap in at the end of FP1, we focused on race pace instead. We didn‘t do a time attack and, unfortunately, the rain came before FP2, so that ruled out the chance of improving in the combined standings. But on the bright side, FP2 did allow us to get a feel for the wet conditions. This might come in handy as more rain is predicted for the remainder of the weekend. We often struggle on a mixed or drying track, but today both Fabio and Franky felt comfortable in those conditions too. So, all in all, the combined results don‘t tell the whole story. The pace of our riders is really strong, both in the wet, mixed, and the dry, so we are feeling positive about our chances here this weekend."