Lorenzo Leads The Way Into Qualifying

Aug 29, 2015
3 min read

Jorge Lorenzo heads in this afternoon's qualifying session as the man to beat after a sensational lap in the third free practice session of the weekend. The Spaniard posted a 2:01.429 to go half a-second clear of the field. The Spaniard was also able to take his Yamaha YZR-M1 to a string of 2:01 laps, giving his main rivals something to think about come race day.

Track conditions were much improved from yesterday having seen lots of running from many different classes yesterday, so times came down almost immediately. The first man to lay the gauntlet was Honda's Marc Marquez, the Spaniard dropping the his time to a 2:01.888. He was unable to improve upon that, but it seems pole position is very much a possibility for the man lying third in the standings. Pole position would be huge for Marquez as it will give him a little bit of a psychological edge over Lorenzo who looks to be his main rival this weekend.

Andrea Dovizioso used all of the sheer power of the Ducati GP15, as well as the soft rear tyre, to maximum effect towards the end of FP3 and went 3rd quickest with a 2:01.969. Team-mate Andrea Iannone didn't enjoy such luck and was very lucky to scrape through to QP2 in 10th.

Dani Pedrosa hasn't looked quite as quick as his team-mate so far this weekend, but certainly good enough to have a stab at the podium tomorrow. He missed out on a top three spot by just over a tenth, whilst fellow Honda rider, albeit in satellite form, Scott Redding cruised through to QP2 in 5th. The Marc VDS rider is said to be closing in on a deal to secure a seat at Pramac Ducati next year but has been reported as being 50/50 on the decision. This upturn in form on the Honda may complicate his situation somewhat.

Bradley Smith has been the top Brit so far this weekend at Silverstone, and was very close to being so again this morning in 6th. Team-mate Pol Espargaro also made it through in 9th, which may come as some surprise to the Spaniard after he told me yesterday that he though QP2 pace in FP3 was going to be very difficult to achieve.

Cal Crutchlow made it three home riders into QP2 after a great lap of 2:02.346 put him 3rd quickest briefly. The LCR rider, who has re-signed for the team for next year, eventually fell to 8th but just 0.005s behind Valentino Rossi in 7th. It looks like it will be a very tasty contest between Crutchlow, Smith and Redding in qualifying later today.

Today was the first day Rossi had ran the medium tyre in qualifying trim, opting yesterday instead to fully focus on race set-up. The Doctor complained of tyre degradation and problems with engine braking. Things looked a bit better this morning with a fastest lap of 2:02.341, but that was still nearly a second off of Lorenzo.

Dropping out of the top ten were both Suzuki's. Their chassis does suit this circuit, and the soft rear Bridgestone available to them has given them a little extra. But the lack of power hindered them greatly and getting into QP2 will be a mighty task. That task made even more difficult with both Pramac riders looking to secure the pace. Like Suzuki they have the soft rear tyre, but more importantly they've got grunt. Don't discount Eugene Laverty either. The Aspar rider was 15th after the third practice session, but was 11th at one stage and was able to put in a couple of successive quick laps. With home support behind him, maybe a fourth Brit in the QP2 session could be achievable.

QP2 Runners:

Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 2:01.429

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, 2:01.888

Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, 2:01.969

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, 2:02.119

Scott Redding, EG Marc VDS Honda, 2:02.125

Bradley Smith, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:02.203

Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 2:02.341

Cal Crutchlow, Givi LCR Honda, 2:02.346

Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:02.443

Andrea Iannone, Ducati Team, 2:02.476

QP1 Runners: