Is Fabio Quartararo’s title defence back on track?
It’s far too early to say, just one day into the first weekend back at Phillip Island in three years. But if you were describing what a successful weekend in Australia would look like for the Frenchman, it would probably start with something reminiscent of what we got yesterday.
Quartararo ended the day only fractionally off the pace set by leading Ducati Johann Zarco and felt he had more to give. A good qualifying position this afternoon is in sight, and from there anything’s possible.
But Aleix Espargaró is up and about too. He sees scope to manoeuvre himself into a more competitive position as the weekend continues, knowing that he needs a big result to stay in the championship hunt.
Meanwhile Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia will start Saturday off the pace, and Miller will need a big start to the day to guarantee a Q2 slot.
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QUARTARARO IN PUNCHY MOOD AHEAD OF CRITICAL QUALI
Fabio Quartararo’s season has been defined by turning up to circuits and clinging on for dear life.
With his bike largely unchanged compared to last year’s model, he and the team understand innately how to set it up for each track before they show up, meaning they have nothing in the bag to respond with as other riders turn up the heat.
But for the first time in months the championship leader has walked away from a Friday practice day having left something on the table.
It’s not a bad result given he was fourth and only 0.139 seconds off session-topper Johann Zarco.
“I feel I was also riding well … and feeling also like I have a margin in a few corners that can make me one tenth here, one tenth there, so at the end of a race it can make a big change,” he said.
“Today was one of the first days that we really felt that we have to make a few changes, because in general as soon as we start the weekend we finish the weekend with the same bike.
“Today, at this kind of track, which is quite different to every track, we’ve made a few changes and have a few changes for tomorrow.”
And even if the pace doesn’t come to him in time for qualifying, he was optimistic that ground could still be recovered in the race even from a lower grid spot, something that’s typically hamstrung the M1 with high tyre pressure from following in traffic.
“I think our pace is quite okay,” he said. “I’ve got a few places I think I can overtake on this track, so I think it should be quite a good track.”
ESPARGARÓ ‘NEEDS’ PHILLIP ISLAND VICTORY FOR TITLE HOPES
Championship contender Aleix Espargaró reckons winning the Australian Grand Prix this weekend is the minimum requirement to stay in the title hunt ahead of the final two rounds.
Espargaró is 20 points behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo, but with only three races still to go, he needs both Quartararo and Bagnaia, who’s 18 points up the road, to trip up if he’s to close the gap.
The Argentine Grand Prix winner was seventh at the end of Friday, 0.357 seconds slower than leader Zarco.
The weight of two missed opportunities in Japan and Thailand — the former due to a bike problem on the grid, the latter just a difficult ride in Buriram — is heavy on the Spaniard’s shoulders, but a positive Friday at Phillip Island has left him hopeful big results could still be coming his way before the end of the year.
“I felt fast again after two difficult tracks for me with a normal tyre and on a fast track,” he said, comparing the flowing Phillip Island to the two more extreme previous circuits. “I felt like I could fight on top again, so I’m happy.
“I need to win if I’m to fight for the title.”
“Twenty points seems not so much, but when the reality is that you’re against Pecco and Fabio with only three races, 20 points is quite a lot.
“We have to wait and see, but my pace is strong.
“Fabio’s pace is not better than mine, Pecco’s is not really — he’s not on his best circuit for the moment — and Jack’s neither.
“We have to wait and see, because today was easy to make a mistake and have a big crash. I think everyone was quite relaxed today — relaxed is maybe not the right word here in Phillip Island — but we have to wait and see.”
Espargaró’s teammate, Maverick Viñales, was fifth in the Friday order at 0.27 seconds off the pace.
BIG RED BUTTON PROPOSED BY RIDERS AS SAFETY MEASURE
MotoGP riders are considering proposing for bikes to be installed with buttons that would prompt race control to wave red flags when they feel the track is too hazardous after a difficult day in the wind at Phillip Island.
The button would be used to alert race control to dangers not immediately apparent to those watching from the control tower or via television, such as high winds, or unexpected amounts of water in the kerbs, that could risk accident or injury during a session.
Race control would have to use the red flag if a majority of riders used the red button in such a situation.
Qualifying at Phillip Island was famously postponed to Sunday in 2019 after high winds made the track unrideable on Saturday afternoon, and while conditions weren’t as gusty on Friday this year, combined with the still damp kerbs, some riders felt it was close to the limit.
“It’s difficult also to take this [red flag] decision,” Luca Marini said, per The Race. “I think [ the International Road-racing Teams Association] or Dorna or the director, when they need to take this kind of decision, it’s not an easy job for them because they are not on track.
“They are here [in the paddock], and from here you don’t feel the wind. So we are asking to them, also in the safety commission, to have a button, to push it, and then maybe if 80 per cent of the grid push this button, also in a race for example, they can have a red flag — to just send them more information.
“Because if you look at the race from the TV, you don’t see nothing.”
Marini said car racing got around this situation because drivers have pit-to-car radio, but riders don’t have the luxury of verbal communication.
“We cannot speak — much too difficult to speak — but pushing a button we can do easily because we are all around the lap pushing something. One more is not a problem.
“We are open also to try other things, but this was the easiest one.”
HOW CAN I WATCH IT?
Every practice, qualifying and race of the 2022 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is live and ad-break free during racing on Kayo and Fox Sports 506.
Saturday
Moto3 third practice: 9am (all times AEDT)
MotoGP third practice: 9:55am
Moto2 third practice: 10:55am
Moto3 qualifying: 12:35pm
MotoGP fourth practice: 1:30pm
MotoGP qualifying: 2:10pm
Moto2 qualifying: 3:10pm
Sunday — live from the paddock at 8:45am
Moto3 warm-up: 9am (AEDT)
Moto2 warm-up: 9:20am
MotoGP warm-up: 9:40am
Moto3 race: 11am
Moto2 race: 12:20pm
MotoGP race: 2pm
