Aleix Espargaró had his best run canceled due to a technical irregularity. /
Netherlands GP
Bagnaia, Roberts and Muñoz lead the first day of training, conditioned by the weather
The first day of practice for the Dutch Grand Prix left few conclusions. In Moto3, the riders disputed the two sessions on a wet track where Seville’s David Muñoz, the last pearl of productive Spanish motorcycling, excelled. Muñoz, who has been eleventh, second and ninth in the three races he has contested so far this year (since he reached the minimum regulatory age of 16), was able to be the fastest both in the afternoon and in the morning on a circuit that he was visiting for the first time in his life.
The Moto2 riders, meanwhile, enjoyed both conditions: water in the first free practice, with Arón Canet first, Fermín Aldeguer second and Augusto Fernández third; and dry in the second, in a session commanded by Joe Roberts ahead of Fernández and Albert Arenas. Enough information to face Saturday with guarantees whatever the day may be, in a weekend of great weather instability.
As for MotoGP, Jack Miller once again demonstrated his ability when the asphalt is wet (he led the first free practice ahead of Joan Mir and Pol Espargaró), while it was the strong men of the category who took the first positions in the final stretch of the second free practice, when the track began to dry out and the first tests could be done under ‘normal’ conditions.
«It has been a little productive day a priori, but in reality it has left me very happy, because in the morning I have been competitive in water and for the races that come after the summer it is always important to be fast in water, and that has left me satisfied. In the afternoon we had a problem with the bike, which did not start until six minutes to go, and I was only able to do three or four laps, but despite this I finished second and almost in the same time as the fastest lap in the race last year”, analyzed Aleix Espargaró, who finished behind Pecco Bagnaia and ahead of Fabio Quartararo, although the Race Direction determined at the end of the day that his last batch, the good one, was not valid for having used a piece not allowed on the dry bike, a spoiler that is located below and designed to prevent the flow of water towards the rear tire.
As a consequence of this, Espargaró was left without his best record, and even without a valid time to be officially classified, so if it rained on Saturday in the third free practice he would be forced to go through the playoff, Q1, to try to catch a of the two places that would allow him to fight for the first rows of the grid on Sunday, in a very important race if he wants to prevent the margin in the general classification of the leader Quartararo from continuing to increase.
Mir and Rins, pending their future
Maverick Viñales, sixth after the suspension of his teammate, and the two Suzuki riders, Álex Rins (third) and Joan Mir (fifth), also entered the group of the top ten. Two that began 2022 as clear contenders for the title and that since the announcement of the goodbye of their brand have lived a more than gray period.
In the last four races, since the one in Jerez in which the bomb exploded, only Mir has been able to finish in one, in Barcelona, where he was fourth. The rest have been zeros. Something in a rarefied environment inside the box, with all its members looking for work, which includes the two drivers. That, paradoxes of fate, could end up under the same umbrella, that of Honda, a brand that is going through a difficult time.
«In the end there is some little thing, nothing is closed, but it is true that we are talking with LCR, we have talked with Gresini and the truth is that things are the same as yesterday, but let’s see if we can announce something at the end of the race or next week”, recognized Rins, who directs his steps towards Álex Márquez’s current motorcycle. «If what we are talking about is closed, the material conditions will be the same, the material will be the same. Yes, it is true that the teams are not the same and we have spoken with LCR because they have not given us the option of speaking with Repsol Honda, but wearing the colors of Repsol Honda would not have displeased me”, he added, referring to the only destination that is contemplated for Mir, Marc Márquez’s teammate, although the Mallorcan continues to recognize that nothing has been signed yet and that he is still waiting. A stability that tarnishes a competition that is still going on.
