Marquez in formidable form in warm-up
Fresh from securing his first official pole position of 2018, Marc Marquez put in a dominant performance at MotoGP morning warm-up, lapping the 2.8-mile Assen track with a ferocious consistency and leading the session by 0.242s.
Only Andrea Dovizioso (second) could get close to Marquez’s best time of 1m 33.939s, with Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales a further two tenths slower in third.
Fresh from securing his first official pole position of 2018, Marc Marquez put in a dominant performance at MotoGP morning warm-up, lapping the 2.8-mile Assen track with a ferocious consistency and leading the session by 0.242s.
Only Andrea Dovizioso (second) could get close to Marquez’s best time of 1m 33.939s, with Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales a further two tenths slower in third.
At one point, during an ominous Marquez run, cameras cut to a frustrated Jorge Lorenzo in the Ducati garage. Upon seeing his 2019 team-mate’s latest lap time in the high 1m 34s, the Majorcan could do little else but shake his head.
Andrea Iannone was fourth fastest, but doubts remain over his ability to manage his tyres over race distance. The Suzuki man used a variety of riders for tows through the 20 minutes, with factory team boss Davide Brivio even expressing the belief that team-mate Alex Rins (14th) is more likely to secure a result in the race.
Frustration at seeing the strength of his rival aside, Lorenzo was a solid fifth fastest, after opting for hard rear tyre throughout – a slight surprise after using the soft throughout FP4 on Saturday afternoon.
Pol Espargaro was an eye-catching sixth on KTM’s RC16, a place ahead of Danilo Petrucci, who secured a fine second place here a year ago. Alvaro Bautista was eighth, with 2018’s race winner Valentino Rossi ninth. Cal Crutchlow, a front row starter, was tenth.
