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A few hours after the announcement of the signing of his contract with Yamaha and Petronas, Valentino Rossi proved that at 41 years old he is not a heap of junk by securing the third fastest time in the classification and, therefore, a position in the first row . Rossi lost just 0.331 seconds in the fastest time. It was the front row for the Yamaha star since Silverstone 13 months ago and the first this year.
Rossi has podium chances, for the first time he was in the top 3 this year, in the second round of the World Championship in Jerez on July 26. The Italian warhorse showed a similar pace to Quartataro and Morbidelli in FP4 and has fought many memorable battles in Montmeló. Rosi’s loyal fans are even looking forward to the first win since June 25 at Assen 2017.
“Saturday went well. We started the weekend well yesterday Friday ”, summarized Rossi. “The bike was competitive from the first practice session, it gave me a good feeling. Tenth place on Friday sounded promising. We did a good job again for Saturday and came up with modifications that were worth it. I have improved my line and my driving style. I also improved my race pace as it underscores fourth place in FP4 on used tires. “
“The front row seat is very valuable because the first corner is so far from the starting line. We have to give our best from the start and have a decent race ”, is Rossi’s plan for Sunday.
Rossi tested the soft rear tire and the medium compound in FP4. The race starts at 3pm instead of the usual 2pm, because the F1 race in Sochi starts at 13:15 pm and some TV channels show both events live. How does late start time affect tire choice?
Rossi: “We haven’t made up our minds yet, because we have the warm-up tomorrow morning. We will compare the mixes again. It will also depend on the next night, because the weather forecast is not very good. We hope it stays dry, because the condition of the track improves day by day. The choice of tires will be decisive. Of course, soft is better at first, but in the end you suffer. With the medium rear tire we have a little less grip, but it could be more stable during the 24 laps of the race. We will think about it carefully on Sunday. “
Catalunya-GP, MotoGP, Q2:
1. Morbidelli, Yamaha, 1: 38,798 min
2. Quartararo, Yamaha, 1: 39.008
3. Rossi, Yamaha, 1: 39,129
4. Miller, Ducati, 1: 39,225
5. Viñales, Yamaha, 1: 39,371
6. Zarco, Ducati, 1: 39,378
7. Pol Espargaró, KTM, 1: 39.495
8. Mir, Suzuki, 1: 39.628
9. Petrucci, Ducati, 1: 39.641
10. Folder, KTM, 1: 39,659
11. Nakagami, Honda, 1: 39.713
12. Oliveira, KTM, 1: 40,188
The rest of the starting grid:
13. Rins, Suzuki, 1: 39,751
14. Bagnaia, Ducati, 1: 39.777
15. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 1: 39.973
16. Crutchlow, Honda, 1: 39,988
17. Dovizioso, Ducati, 1: 40.109
18. Alex Marquez, Honda, 1: 40,164
19. Lecuona, KTM, 1:40 490
20. Bradl, Honda, 1: 40,721
21. Smith, Aprilia, 1: 40,838
22. Rabat, Ducati, 1: 41,013
Drivers’ world championship after 7 out of 14 races:
1. Dovizioso 84 Punkte. 2. Quartararo 83. 3. Viñales 83. 4. Mir 80. 5. Morbidelli 64. 6. Miller 64. 7. Nakagami, 63. 8. Oliveira 59. 9. Rossi 58. 10. Pol Espargaró 57. 11. Binder 53. 12. Rins 44. 13. Zarco 36. 14. Petrucci 31. 15. Bagnaia 29. 16. Alex Márquez 24. 17. Aleix Espargaró 18. 18. Lecuona 15. 19. Smith 11. 20. Rabat 7. 21 Crutchlow 7. 22. Pyrrhus 4.
Constructors’ Championship after 7 of 14 races:
1. Yamaha 138 Punkte. 2. Ducati 115. 3. KTM 104. 4. Suzuki 93. 5. Honda 63. 6. Aprilia 26.
