Dovizioso, Marquez star in warm-up
Andrea Dovizioso, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo did little to suggest this afternoon’s race would be decided among themselves with the three names topping MotoGP morning warm-up in Austria.
A late lap from Dovizioso pushed him to the top of the session, after Marquez had used the 20 minutes to test the suitability of Michelin’s hard rear tyre for race conditions. The Catalan’s consistency was something to behold, even if a small, pain-free spill at turn three – when chasing Dovizioso – disrupted his rhythm.
Andrea Dovizioso, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo did little to suggest this afternoon’s race would be decided among themselves with the three names topping MotoGP morning warm-up in Austria.
A late lap from Dovizioso pushed him to the top of the session, after Marquez had used the 20 minutes to test the suitability of Michelin’s hard rear tyre for race conditions. The Catalan’s consistency was something to behold, even if a small, pain-free spill at turn three – when chasing Dovizioso – disrupted his rhythm.
Just 0.101s separated the top two, with Lorenzo 0.426s back of his team-mate in third. Still, the Majorcan’s starting capabilities coupled with Ducati’s top speed advantage surely ensure he will be a player for the podium's top step, at least, part of the race.
Andrea Iannone was critical of Suzuki’s treatment of him on Saturday, but he suitably responded this morning, setting the fourth fastest time, a place ahead of Cal Crutchlow. Bradley Smith enjoyed his strongest session of the year in sixth. As KTM’s sole representative in the premier class, he will be under some pressure to deliver a top ten result this afternoon.
Aleix Espargaro has serious concerns regarding his Aprilia RS-GP’s fuel consumption, but he was a strong seventh here, a place ahead of Alex Rins in eighth. Dani Pedrosa was ninth, with Maverick Viñales the first of the Yamaha’s in tenth.
