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· In Moto2™ the fastest qualifying rider was the Spaniard Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) who, with a time of 1’56.301, took pole position by also setting the new all-time lap record that improved by almost half a second the one set by Aron Canet last year. All the top seven riders lapped under the previous record using soft compound tyres on both axles.
· Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM) took Moto3™ to pole position in 2’02.638 on the sixth lap of seven using soft SC1 rear and medium SC2 front tyres. Two other KTM riders complete the front row on the grid: Joel Kelso in second position and José Antonio Rueda in third. The latter used the same compounds as the poleman while the Australian opted for a soft SC1 at the front.
· There was a strong temperature variation between the early afternoon and evening sessions. In FP1 and FP2 the air temperatures were between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius with the track temperatures hovering around 55 degrees. In practice and qualifying the air temperatures dropped by just over 5 degrees while the asphalt temperatures dropped by more than 20 degrees.
Medium SC2 compound tyres to be preferred for the races
“Compared to last season, this year we arrive in Lusail a month later and the sessions and races are held two hours later to meet the shift to daylight saving time in many countries. Racing in mid-April instead of mid-March, asphalt temperatures are on average 10 degrees Celsius higher in the afternoon sessions with a considerable temperature variation: about 20 degrees of difference in the asphalt right between the first sessions, such as FP1 and FP2, and the evening ones, i.e. practice, qualifying and races. This affects the behaviour of the tyres, especially at the front. In fact, with the higher asphalt temperatures in the early afternoon sessions, the soft SC1 compounds show good performance, while at night the lower temperatures, combined with the high humidity, accentuate the levels of wear, making the options in the medium SC2 compound more competitive, especially in terms of race distance. This is an important aspect that teams and riders will have to consider for tomorrow’s races, taking as a reference above all the results seen in practice on Friday evening – the most representative session of the race conditions. We believe that the medium SC2 is, in both classes, the most suitable option at the front and, in the case of Moto3™, also at the rear, because it has shown lower wear with the lower temperatures and humidity of the evening. Those who want to risk the SC1 to have an advantage at the start can do so considering the fact that they will then be called upon to manage the tyre in the second part of the race. In Moto2™ the riders will be able to pair the front SC2 with the rear soft SC0 which is undoubtedly the most suitable choice”.
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