Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia strike back in Phillip Island MotoGP warm-up
“I see three big rivals for today”
Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini got the better of Australian MotoGP pole qualifier and Sprint winner Jorge Martin in Sunday morning warm-up.
However, title leader Martin was only 0.270s from the top and - most significantly - using old tyres.
After analysing tyre wear on the new asphalt during the 13-lap Sprint, Michelin gave the green light for riders to again use the soft rear compound for today’s full-length grand prix.
“Probably we will see many riders with the hard front and soft rear again,” said Michelin’s Piero Taramasso.
But putting 27 laps on the soft rear is still a step into the unknown and - while Marquez, Bagnaia and Bastianini started warm-up with 4 or 5 laps on their rear soft - Martin began the session with a soft rear and hard front that had both already done 13 laps.
That means they were probably the very same tyres he rode with to victory on Saturday. By the end of warm-up, they had done 20 laps each. All of Martin’s warm-up laps were in the low ‘28s, just a few tenths behind Marquez’s 1m 27.812s best.
“I see three big rivals for today,” Martin said after warm-up, referring to Marquez, Bagnaia and Bastianini, “but I feel confident.”
Martin will start this afternoon’s race 16 points clear of reigning champion Bagnaia who, like team-mate Bastianini, seemed to find something for Sunday after fading to fourth in the Sprint.
“It looks like Bagnaia and Bastianini also did a step this morning,” acknowledged Marc Marquez, who fought from eighth to second in the Sprint after being surprised by Martin's braking at Turn 1 (to disengage the holeshot device).
Bagnaia and Aleix Espargaro were involved in a 'disagreement' after a close moment at the Turn 4 hairpin.
The medium rear tyre is also an option for the grand prix, with Marco Bezzecchi using it to hold fifth place in the Sprint until his collision with Maverick Vinales on the penultimate lap.
However, all riders used the soft rear for warm-up, which took place without Pedro Acosta, the rookie being declared unfit due to a shoulder injury in the Sprint.
Bezzecchi has a long lap to serve in the race for the Vinales incident, with Alex Marquez also heading for the penalty loop after hitting Joan Mir in Motegi.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
