MotoGP Argentina, Termas – Free Practice (2) Results

Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than FP1.
= Rider is same position as FP1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than FP1.

* Rookie

Fastest FP1 time:
Takaaki Nakagami JPN Honda 1m 39.028s

Official Termas de Rio Hondo MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 37.683s (2014)
Fastest race lap:
Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha 1m 39.019s (2015)

Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales have dominated Free Practice 2 for the Argentine MotoGP, with the likes of Miguel Oliveira, Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini and Pol Espargaro all heading for Qualifying 1.

Bagnaia’s day may yet get worse if he is penalised for braking (off line) on the main straight, having been frustarted at slow moving riders waiting for a tow.

Fastest for large parts of FP1, Espargaro was quick from the start of FP2, with Vinales then making it an Aprilia one-two after 20 minutes of the hour.

The RS-GPs remained the only bikes quicker than Takaaki Nakagami’s FP1 time throughout the middle stages.

Vinales, who arrived confident after a set-up breakthough in warm-up at Mandalika, briefly got the better of Espargaro as the pair remained in charge of the timesheets right to the end.

Ducati’s Jack Miller and Yamaha’s reigning champion Fabio Quartararo were best of the rest, with Suzuki team-mates Alex Rins and Joan Mir. Pramac riders Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco and VR46’s Luca Marini completing those with direct Qualifying 2 access.

“4

Brad Binder suffered a massive engine failure on his factory KTM just after the midway mark, sending a huge cloud of white smoke into the air, but was soon back to the pits for his spare machine.

Tech3 KTM rookie Remy Gardner fell early in the session at Turn 1, with Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro losing the front at the same spot just before the midway stage. It is thought to have been Espargaro’s first fall of the year on the new Honda.

Gardner’s fellow rookies Darryn Binder and Marco Bezzecchi also fell, bringing out yellow flags that prevented a final-minute improvement.

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Hard front and soft rear tyres were the favoured choice this afternoon with Rins seemingly alone in trying the medium front while a few ran the medium rear. The rear casing is back to the standard design this weekend, after the special construction used at Mandalika (which caused difficulties for Honda and Suzuki).

The revised weekend schedule sees the top 10 riders after FP2 given direct access to Qualifying 2, with the usual FP3 and FP4 sessions cancelled.

Qualifying 1 will now get underway…

Updated schedule – 2022 Argentine MotoGP

Saturday

08:15-09:05 Moto3 FP1 (12:15-13:05 UK)
09:20-10:10 Moto2 FP1 (13:20-14:10 UK)
10:25-11:15 Moto3 FP2 (14:25-15:15 UK)
11:30-12:20 Moto2 FP2 (15:30-16:20 UK)
12:35-13:35 MotoGP FP1 (16:35-17:35 UK)
13:50-14:05 Moto3 Qualifying 1 (17:50-18:05 UK)
14:15-14:30 Moto3 Qualifying 2 (18:15-18:30 UK)
14:45-15:00 Moto2 Qualifying 1 (18:45-19:00 UK)
15:10-15:25 Moto2 Qualifying 2 (19:10-19:25 UK)
15:40-16:40 MotoGP FP2 (19:40-20:40 UK)
17:05-17:20 MotoGP Qualifying 1 (21:05-21:20 UK)
17:30-17:45 MotoGP Qualifying 2 (21:30-21:45 UK)

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Sunday

09:20-09:40 Moto3 Warm-up (13:20-13:40 UK)
09:50-10:10 Moto2 Warm-up (13:50-14:10 UK)
10:20-11:00 MotoGP Warm-up (14:20-15:00 UK)

12:00 Moto3 Race – 21 laps (16:00 UK)
13:20 Moto2 Race – 23 laps (15:20 UK)
15:00 MotoGP Race – 25 laps (19:00 UK)

Marc Marquez, who suffered a new episode of double vision in the aftermath of his huge warm-up accident in Indonesia, is missing this weekend’s event and is replaced by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl.

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After a medical check on Monday, Marquez’s Ophthalmologist Dr Sánchez Dalmau said there had been a “a very favourable evolution in the paralysis of the fourth right nerve affected by the fall that occurred at the Indonesian Grand Prix.” But he added: “Recovery is not yet complete, and Marc Marquez must follow the established therapeutic regime with conservative treatment.”

It is thus not yet known if Marquez will return for COTA next weekend, one of his most successful circuits, or re-join sometime during the European season, which begins in Portimao on April 22-24.

Fellow Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami also looked set to miss this weekend, after testing positive for Covid-19 and being unable to leave Japan.

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However, the cancellation of Friday combined with subsequent negative Covid results meant Nakagami was able to get to Termas in time for Saturday’s start.

MotoGP is returning to Termas de Rio Hondo for the first time since March 2019, with the event cancelled for the past two years due to the Covid pandemic.