Movistar Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales has topped the opening MotoGP free practice session in Argentina, setting a 1’40.356 using the harder option rear Michelin while all about him changed to the soft rear to get in a fast lap in case of bad weather.
Vinales was in imperious form and didn’t allow a moment in the final corner at the start of the session which hurt his wrist and saw his Alpinestars airbag go off to distract him. Vinales had four laps in 1’40s all on the hard tyre while Danilo Petrucci took his Octo Pramac Ducati to second on the soft rear with a 1’40.562.
Monster Yamaha duo Johann Zarco and Jonas Folder scrapped it out for third place - again on the soft rear - and there was only 0.086s between them. The Frenchman posted a 1’40.574 to edge out his team-mate on his final lap. Karel Abraham surprised pretty much everyone with his last lap, jumping into fifth place as the chequered flag appeared, setting a 1’40.678.
It was bad news for multiple champions Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi however. The Repsol Honda man lost the front of his RC213V after coming in for a front-spring change and could only muster a 1’40.588 to end in 11th place and out of qualfying two should rain appear at Termas de Rio Hondo.
Lorenzo and Rossi are locked together in 15th and 16th places. The Ducati newboy went out on the soft rear for his last run but still ended up just shy of eight-tenths behind Vinales while Rossi was another two-tenths behind his team-mate.
It was a good run for Andrea Iannone who bagged sixth place on the Ecstar Suzuki, one in front of former Ducati sparring partner Andrea Dovizioso. Both used the soft rear to stay less than four-tenths off the pace. Hector Barbera bounced in eighth with his last flying lap, pushing Jack Miller back to ninth. Alvaro Bautista is the final man to take an automatic qualifying two spot in tenth.
Aleix Espargaro showed pace early doors but slipped back behind countryman Marc Marquez while Scott Redding and Cal Crutchlow are on the same pace on 13th and 14th. Fellow Brits Bradley Smith and Sam Lowes ended in 22nd and 23rd.
Michelin have declared that all riders must complete five laps on the hard tyre before the end of session two or face a six-place grid penalty.
