The first day of the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix, the first of the 2024 season, ended with Jorge Martin leading in FP1 and Marc Marquez in the second session of the day, which due to rain was held in wet conditions and therefore was not considered valid for direct access to Q2, which will be decided tomorrow morning.
The common denominator of both sessions, dry and wet, was the third place of 19-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta, who finished behind Aleix Espargaro in FP1.
The Aprilia rider, who is the oldest on the starting grid and shares the manager with the Spaniard, demonstrated once again that he is in great shape, as in the last three years, and that he is among the fastest.
“In the afternoon I only did a couple of laps to see what the track was like in wet conditions,” explained the Spaniard. “It was a smart decision to use them as a second free practice session”, referring to the fact that the session did not define the ten who will contest tomorrow's Q2.
“But the track is fine and you can race. The lights have been changed,” he said, referring to the fact that previously it was not possible to race under the floodlights in the wet. “It's not a question of slippage or not, it's a question of reflexes,” she added.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The rain that arrived unexpectedly in the middle of the desert has upset the weekend's plans and will force the MotoGP riders to push hard in all of Saturday's sessions. On the other hand, it allowed Marc Marquez to show all his talent in the complicated conditions.
“Did anyone have doubts about Marc and Pedro? I didn't. The only question is how long it will take them,” said Aleix when asked about the performances of the two riders on whom all the fans' eyes are focused.
One of the keys to this first official day of the season was to understand where each rider and each bike are located, and for Aleix positioning the Aprilia in front is important, especially because it features many aerodynamic changes, in particular a tail section with a diffuser that resembles that of a Formula 1 car. “For me, the new tail is a great choice. It gives me more downforce, but it also makes the bike more difficult to ride. Furthermore, it offers greater grip when entering corners,” he said. declared.
For Espargaró, the most important thing is to maintain the speed he showed during the pre-season. “In the last run this morning I was good, fast. I feel fast and ready,” he said, despite finding the asphalt “with less grip than the test” held on this same track just three weeks ago.
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