Le Mans MotoGP: Marquez fastest with new fairing in FP1
Marc Marquez got the better of Andrea Dovizioso on his very final lap of opening p🦩ractice for the French MotoGP at Le Mans.
Riding with a new downforce fairing on his Repsol Honda, the reigning world champion nipped 0.025s clear of Ducati's Andrea Dovܫizioso to 🧔get within 0.2s of the official race lap record.
Marquez's new fairing is similar to the Yamaha design, w🌱hile team-mate Dani Pedrosa has a different version on his second RC213V.
Unlꦬike Marquez, Ped💟rosa (15th) didn't appear to use his fairing on track this morning.
Marc Marquez got the better of Andrea 🀅Dovizioso on his very final lap of opening pra𒀰ctice for the French MotoGP at Le Mans.
Riding with a new downforce fairing on his Repsol Honda, the reigning world champion nipped 0.025s clear of Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso to get withiꦚn 0.2s of the official race lap record.
Marquez's new fairing is similar to the Yamaha design, while team-mate Dani ♈Pedrosa has a different version on his second RC213V.
Unl⛦ike Marquez, Pedrosa (15th) didn't appear to use his fairing on track this morning.
Riders are only allowed one fairing upgrade du𓆏ring the sea♏son.
Bigger wings for Marc Marquez FP1
— mahbx.com/MotoGP (@crash_motogp)
New wing packa🍎ge ready on Pedrosa♏'s Repsol Honda FP1
— mahbx.com/MotoGP (@crash_motogp)
Last year's winner Maverick Vinales was visibly upbeat after leading for most of the closing stages, setting a sౠtrong consistent pace and fini🅘shing just 0.067s from Marquez.
Factory Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi also made a strong start, setting the pace on several occasions on his way to a close sixth (0.301s) at a circuit where he battled Vinales for victory one year a🎉go🦹.
Between the Movistar riders was Cal Crutchlow -💞 the leading sateꦛllite rider in fourth (+0.258s) for LCR Honda - with home star Johann Zarco firmly in the fight with fifth (+0.279s) for Monster Yamaha Tech3.
Suzuki's Andrea Iannone had been the rider to beat during the middle stages, before sli𓆉pping back to seventh (+0.443s). Dovizioso's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo and the KTMs of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro completed the top ten - an excellent start for the Austrian factoryও.
Pramac's Danilo Petrucci, who like fellow GP18 riders Dovizioso and Lorenzo was running maximum wing configuration, was eleventh. GP17 team-mate Jack Miller was the first faller of the weekend on his way to twelfth, in a session that saw all riders up to and including 🐬Pedrosa within one-second of the top.
A cloudless blue sky at the circuꦚit means lap times are expected to improve this afternoon.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 ඣ🦂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.
