Assertive Start for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP in Argentina

Qualifying

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team showed competitive form on the first day of riding at the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit. Maverick Viñales felt good on his bike at the start of the Gran Premio de la República Argentina and ultimately wrapped up the day in sixth place in the combined standings.

Chasing a second consecutive win on Argentine soil, Viñales was determined to position himself as a key protagonist early on in the weekend. The self-confessed fan of the Termas de Río Hondo Circuit soon found a good feeling aboard his YZR-M1 in FP1. Though he had to hold back due to traffic on track, the 23-year-old continued to make progress. His best time, a 1'41.224s, earned him 13th place, 0.921s from the front.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP youngster intended on working hard in the afternoon to make another step and earn himself a placement within the top-10. Damp track conditions formed a challenge for the Spaniard, but he worked his magic towards the end of the session when the track started to dry. Despite the difficult weather circumstances he improved on his morning time by 0.714s, when he posted a 1'40.510s, moving up to sixth place, with a 1.115s margin to the leading time.

Today's FP1 and FP2 results see the team take 6th and 7th place respectively in the combined timesheets. Tomorrow they will be back on track from 10:55 - 11:40 local track time (GMT-3) for Free Practice 3, followed by Free Practice 4 from 14:30 - 15:00 and the qualifying sessions from 15:10 - 15:50.

Maverick Viñales

Position: 6th - Time: 1'40.510 - Laps: 38

"My feelings today have been mixed. I felt quite confident on the bike this morning, but honestly, I didn't feel the same way in the afternoon. I was happy that, in the end, I provisionally qualified for Q2 in FP2, because it was difficult. Tomorrow, if it rains, it would have been tricky to get inside the top-10. We have to work in order to close the gap to our opponents, so we have to stay focused."

Massimo Meregalli

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - Team Director

"The first free practice sessions are always tricky here, because the surface requires the riders to put some rubber on the track first in FP1. During FP2 we lost a bit of time due to spots of rain, but luckily it held off, so we were still able to get work done in preparation for tomorrow's qualifying and Sunday's race. Maverick was feeling comfortable in the morning. Though he didn't have the same feeling in the afternoon, he was still able to move up to sixth place in the combined rankings during FP2. Even though we started the weekend in the right way, we still have some work to do, especially concerning braking and corner entry, to close the gap. We expect the track conditions to improve during the weekend, but the weather for tomorrow remains uncertain, which makes a top-10 result for both riders in the combined FP1-FP2 standings all the more important."