Michael Scott | August 10, 2018
2018 Austria MotoGP Friday Results
With rain forecast for the afternoon, the first session provided all the important times for MotoGP. With a strong possibility of more rain tomorrow morning, the first-session would determine who goes straight into Q2 tomorrow, and who will have to fight to the top two positions of Q1 to join them.
2018 Austria MotoGP Friday Results
The morning gave the best possible news to Ducati riders, holding the top three positions; and the worst to Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha), out of the crucial top ten in 11th. Rossi had to go through the session with just one bike, after his first rattled to a stop early on as it passed the pits.
The top two slots, as at last weekend’s Brno race, went to factory team-mates Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, with two tenths between them. The third finisher there was Marc Marquez, but today the Repsol Honda rider was fourth, with another Ducati ahead – Danilo Petrucci’s Alma Pramac machine.
Andrea Iannone was fifth on the Ecstar Suzuki, his team-mate Alex Rins way down in 14th; Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) sixth.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Ducati), Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha) and Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha) completed the top ten.
The afternoon session was delayed by a cloudburst, and was run in fully (sometimes very fully) wet conditions, with most riders waiting until the last 20 minutes or so before going out.
Marquez was one of the latest out, and immediately jumped to the top of the pile, displacing long-time session leader Scott Redding (Aprilia) by fully half a second.
Petrucci was third; then Lorenzo, Dovizioso, KTM’s sole entrant Bradley Smith, Rins and Jack Millr (Alma Pramac Ducati).