The Mooney VR46 Racing Team starts the Grand Prix of the Americas the same way it left off the last round in Argentina: in style. On this occasion it has been Luca Marini, responsible for brightening up the box of his brother Valentino Rossi’s team establishing the best lap of the MotoGP FP1 that was held this afternoon on the COTA track.
Despite the fact that the sky around the North American circuit was covered in gray clouds, the premier class riders were able to hold their first free practice session with slicks, and in anticipation of rain falling in the afternoon, in FP2, several have chosen to mount the soft rear tire on their last outing on the track.
One of them has been Marini, author of a 2:03.250 in his penultimate lap which placed the Italian at the top of FP1 with a medium front tire and a soft rear tire. Same combination for another of the fastest men in these early stages of the GP of the Americas, Fabio Quartararowhich is just 150 thousandths off the record of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team driver.
The top 3 completed it Johann Zarco; The Frenchman was already among the best with the time of the session almost over, yielding only 278 thousandths after having mounted the softest Michelin specifications on both axles.
Good start too Alex Marquez, responsible for leading FP1 for much of the morning. The man from Gresini could not finish off in his last few laps with the rear ‘S’ (soft), but he managed to finish fourth, three tenths behind Marini, followed by the KTM of Jack Miller (5th +0.426), victim of a minor crash at turn 12.
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— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 14, 2023
Jorge Martin (6th +0.458) and I’m sorry Bagnaia (7th +0.542) were the only drivers in the top 10 not on the soft rear tyre, setting their best laps on the medium rubber. The top 10 was completed Maverick Vinales (8º +0.647), Takaaki Nakagami (9th +0.889) and the South African from KTM, Brad Binder (10º +0.954).
The championship leader Marco Bezzecchi, has not started on the right foot in the US. The Italian finished 13th, 1.1 seconds behind his teammate Marini, and also crashed at turn 12, the same point at which Augusto Fernández also crashed in his GASGAS. All have risen immediately and without physical problems.
Up to three non-permanent drivers are participating in this appointment of the Grand Prix of the Americas. It is about Stefan Bradl (20º +2.521), Michael Pirro (2nd1 +2,552) and Jonas Folger (22nd +4,926), substitutes for the injured Marc Márquez, Enea Bastianini and Pol Espargaró respectively.
A slightly disgruntled-looking Aussie ????@jackmilleraus tips off at the end of the back straight ????#AmericasGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/DaaIyqH1rp
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) April 14, 2023
The MotoGP category will return to action at COTA tonight, from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in Spanish peninsular time, to celebrate the FP2 of the queen category.
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Results FP1 MotoGP GP of the Americas
