Espargaro puts KTM on top in Austrian FP1 ahead of Dovizioso

Pol Espargaro continued to display strong form for KTM after topping FP1 at the manufacturers home event in Austria at the Red Bull Ring by just 0.044.

The Spaniard-who crashed out in last weekend’s Czech GP while rookie team-mate Brad Binder went on to win and score KTM’s first ever premier class victory- looked the man to beat early on, emerging at the head of the timesheets early on with a 1:24.772 that put him 0.048 clear of Andrea Dovizioso.

The Italian would ultimately become Espargaro’s biggest threat for the fastest time as the session unfolded, the GP20 immediately looking a more competitive prospect than at Brno just a week ago.

Espargaro extended his lead at the front to 0.171 with an improvement late on, shortly before Takaaki Nakagami fired to the top with an impressive effort 0.038 faster than the KTM.

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The LCR Honda man’s time at the front was short-lived though as Dovizioso banged in a time nearly three-tenths quicker to snatch the fastest time, before Espargaro once again asserted his position with a final gambit 0.044 clear of the Ducati to claim ultimate ownership of FP1.

Joan Mir managed a late improvement on his Suzuki to bag third quickest in first practice initially, but swiftly lost the lap due to a track limits infringement.

This allowed Nakagami into third in the final reckoning ahead of Alex Rins’ GSX-RR machine, while Franco Morbidelli completed the top five as the fastest Yamaha rider.

Johann Zarco continued to impress for the Avintia squad on his year-old GP19 by taking the sixth quickest time just ahead of Miguel Oliveira’s Tech 3-run KTM RC16, with Jack Miller eighth on his Pramac Racing Ducati.

Mir ultimately fell to ninth with his previous best effort, with double 2020 race winner Fabio Quartararo rounding out the ten fastest runners.

It was a quiet session meanwhile for the factory Yamaha squad as both machines ended the first 45 minute test outside the top ten, with Maverick Vinales 11^th ahead of Valentino Rossi in 13^th, while Danilo Petrucci split the duo in 12^th on the second official Ducati GP20.

Brno victor Brad Binder could manage only a lowly 16^th after having being forced to skip KTM’s pre-season test at the Red Bull Ring due to travel restrictions as a result of Covid-19, just ahead of Michele Pirro on the second Pramac machine-the Ducati test rider replacing the injured Francesco Bagnaia for the two Austrian events.

Alex Marquez was again fastest of the factory Honda’s-albeit in a distant 19^th-after running in the low teens early on, the ’19 Moto2 world champion just over a tenth clear of temporary team-mate Stefan Bradl, the German 21^st overall just behind Bradley Smith.

The Brit was the only man to crash out during the session, the Aprilia racer going down in the tricky downhill-braking approach to Turn 4 in the closing stages of the test.

Quartararo also ran wide at the bend earlier on, but he was able to pick up his M1 and coast harmlessly through the gravel before rejoining shortly after.  

Spielberg, Friday, August 14, 2020