Pecco breaks the all-time lap record while Ducati tightens control of the German GP
Francesco Bagnaia, of the Ducati Lenovo Team, came very close to 1:19 when he broke the all-time lap record in MotoGP ™ FP2 at the Moly Motorrad Grand Prix in Germany. The Italian fired in a 1: 20.018 to set a new benchmark around the Sachsenring while Ducati riders blocked the top three in the afternoon session for the queen class. Luca Marini of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team took second place and the one in charge of setting the pace for FP1, Jack Miller, took third place over the other Desmosedici who entered the factory, with Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia Racing on better than the rest.
Ducati continues its first dominance of the German GP
The twisted track of the Sachsenring may not traditionally fit the bullets of Bologna, but MotoGP ™ is a particularly competitive beast these days and so it was that the Ducati Lenovo Team had already done a two-on FP1 this time of the week. Miller then led with a time of 1: 21.479, but this time he was beaten in the early hours of the afternoon session by several runners, Aleix Espargaro took the lead with a time of 1: 20.789 in his first race and Bagnaia took second place with only 0.054 seconds slower.
Miller himself was one of the first to switch to genuine time attack mode in the closing stages of FP2 and, armed with new soft, smooth Michelin tires on the front and rear of his Desmosedici, returned to peak with a 1: 20.211. Aleix Espargaro came close to overtaking the Australian twice with a time of 1: 20.284 and 1: 20.219 in consecutive laps, but it was up to the other red Ducati man to do the job.
Bagnaia broke the all-time record for three-year-old Marc Márquez in 1: 20.195 when he set a 1: 20.132 with a combination of medium and soft tires in the final three minutes of the session, but there was enough time to go even faster. again before unfurling the checkered flag. Marini also overtook Márquez’s former benchmark at the Sachsenring, returning Miller to third place, albeit just 0.193 seconds behind his teammate’s pace.
Espargaro was the fourth fastest in total, and is the weirdest of the top six otherwise occupied by Desmosedici GP22 riders. Johann Zarco finished fifth with a time of 1: 20.264 and his teammate Prima Pramac Racing, Jorge Martin, finished sixth with a time of 1: 20.275. In seventh place was World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP ™) with a 1: 20.399, ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP ™) with another Ducati.
A heroic effort by Rins
Both sides of the cut of the top 10 who decide who enters directly in Q2 and who does not, as it is, is Joan Mir in 10th with a 1: 20.574 and his teammate Suzuki Ecstar Alex Rins in 11th with a 1.: 20,591. Rins is struggling with a fractured wrist and only completed half of FP1 after a fall on turn 1, but came in third in half an hour of FP2. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was the first of the Honda riders, in 12th place with a time of 1: 20.616, while Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP ™) was in 13th place at 0.131 seconds more than the pace after ‘an early run through the gravel at turn 1..
Pol Espargaró (Repsol Honda Team) was 14th, ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP ™), Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and the first of the KTM contingent to Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) , in 17th.
Of course, everyone will be looking to improve their positions and reserve a place in Q2 when FP3 takes place on Saturday. Can they do that? Answers will arrive at 09:55 (GMT +2).
MotoGP Top 10 ™ Friday: 1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1: 20.0182. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 0.1153. Jack Miller (Lenovo Ducati team) + 0.1934. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.2015. Johann Zarco (First Pramac Racing) + 0.2466. Jorge Martín (First Pramac Racing) + 0.2577. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP ™) + 0.3818. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.4609. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP ™) + 0.52710. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar Team) + 0.556
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