Quartararo over Marquez in Friday MotoGP practice

Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) had been quiet for most of Friday’s action at the Monster Energy Grand Prix ÄŒeské republiky but a late flyer from the flying Frenchman saw his snatch P1 from Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) setting identical times in P3 and P4.

With rain forecast for Saturday morning, Free Practice 2 was an extra important session in terms of getting yourself into the top 10. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins almost immediately jumped up to top spot on the combined times having finished FP1 in P9. Marquez was also improving his time early in the session before Rins emerged with Suzuki’s new front aerodynamic package.

In terms of times, Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was the first major improver. The Spaniard was third after FP1 but he soon found himself 0.590 clear of the field, but it wasn’t the same story for teammate Valentino Rossi. The nine-time World Champion had to nurse his M1 back to the pits with just over 20 minutes to go after a mechanical issue and at this stage, the likes of ‘The Doctor’, Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), 2016 Czech GP winner Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Quartararo were outside the top 10.

That would all change in the last 10 minutes though. The soft tires were put in and Marquez stuck his Repsol Honda top of the pile, with the likes of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Miller improving just before the reigning World Champion went quickest. Riders such as fourth place in FP1 Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and fifth place on Friday morning Sylvain Guintoli (Team Suzuki Ecstar) were holding top 10 spots at the expense of some big names. But then, a certain rookie sensation was on a roll.

17th place Quartararo set the timing screens alight and went P1 ahead of Marquez, somehow finding 1.7 seconds from his previous best lap. The 20-year-old, who finished 18th in FP1, would hold P1 as the session ended, with Crutchlow, Rossi and Petrucci all putting in late personal best laps to earn top 10 positions – how crucial could that be?

Vying completed the top five behind Quartararo, Marquez and the Ducatis of Miller and Dovi, 0.282 separating those guys, with Rins sitting sixth. Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli jumps up one place from his P8 in FP1 to P7 in FP2, with Crutchlow taking eighth on Friday afternoon – a big improvement from the Brit who managed 15th in the morning. Rossi recovered from his mechanical issue to place ninth, one place better than his FP1 effort, Petrucci climbs three places to P10.

Nakagami and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) crashed in FP2 – riders ok.

Friday Times

Pos. Num. Rider Nation Bike Time Behind Gap
1 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Yamaha 1'55.802 0.000 0.000
2 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Honda 1'55.825 0.023 0.023
3 43 Jack MILLER AUS Ducati 1'56.071 0.269 0.246
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati 1'56.071 0.269 0.000
5 12 Maverick VINALES SPA Yamaha 1'56.084 0.282 0.013
6 42 Alex RINS SPA Suzuki 1'56.225 0.423 0.141
7 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA Yamaha 1'56.419 0.617 0.194
8 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Honda 1'56.443 0.641 0.024
9 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Yamaha 1'56.527 0.725 0.084
10 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Ducati 1'56.593 0.791 0.066
11 36 Joan MIR SPA Suzuki 1'56.620 0.818 0.027
12 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN Honda 1'56.662 0.860 0.042
13 88 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR KTM 1'56.732 0.930 0.070
14 6 Stefan BRADL GER Honda 1'56.876 1.074 0.144
15 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia 1'56.958 1.156 0.082
16 53 Tito RABAT SPA Ducati 1'57.057 1.255 0.099
17 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Suzuki 1'57.098 1.296 0.041
18 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Aprilia 1'57.256 1.454 0.158
19 55 Hafizh SYAHRIN MAL KTM 1'57.484 1.682 0.228
20 5 Johann ZARCO FRA KTM 1'57.496 1.694 0.012
21 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Ducati 1'57.562 1.760 0.066
22 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA KTM 1'57.792 1.990 0.230
23 63 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA Ducati 1'57.893 2.091 0.101

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