Intermittent weather interferes during Goiania’s debut
Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton SennaLuca Marini and Joan Mir dodged the rain as they worked to understand the new Brazil GP venue, the on and off weather complicating the crucial moments of the day and leaving them in 11th and 16th.
The MotoGP World Championship’s newest circuit presented the Honda HRC Castrol squad with plenty to learn on the opening day of Round 2. Heavy overnight rain delayed the first session, but intense sunshine saw riders fitting slicks in the closing minutes. Rain would return as well in the afternoon, significantly lighter but just enough to disrupt the flow of Qualifying and mask the true potential of everyone on the grid.
Cautious in the morning, Luca Marini was quick out of pitlane in the afternoon as the threat of rain loomed overhead. Able to quickly set a time inside the top five, the Italian would ultimately fall foul of the weather – unable to improve on his 1’22.088 as the circuit condition worsened. Out of Q2, the #10 knows his full potential was not displayed in the complicated mixed conditions and is ready to see what surprises Saturday holds.
Like his Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Joan Mir’s potential was limited by the conditions with a flu complicating the situation further. Sapped of energy, Mir and his side of the Honda HRC Castrol opted for a more focused approach to make the most of the available track time. A best time of 1'22.392 put him 16th and just one second from first. The #36 is hoping a night of good rest will returning him to fighting fitness ahead of Qualifying and the Sprint.
Saturday will see the first of the weekend’s two races, the 15-lap Sprint around the Autodromo Internacional de Goiania – Ayrton Senna.
“Not as many laps as we would have liked today! I have to say that the tarmac, even though it is very fresh, has very good grip in all conditions. The quality of the circuit is very good; MotoGP Sports and the circuit have done a great job from what we saw just one year ago. Let’s hope for better weather tomorrow to really understand the circuit, these mixed conditions are tricky. Missing Q2 directly is tough, with the conditions we had today a lot is still possible because we are very far from the limit of the riders and the bikes.”
“Not as many laps as we would have liked today! I have to say that the tarmac, even though it is very fresh, has very good grip in all conditions. The quality of the circuit is very good; MotoGP Sports and the circuit have done a great job from what we saw just one year ago. Let’s hope for better weather tomorrow to really understand the circuit, these mixed conditions are tricky. Missing Q2 directly is tough, with the conditions we had today a lot is still possible because we are very far from the limit of the riders and the bikes.”
“Today was a difficult one, I am quite sick and lacking energy to really move with the bike when the conditions are tough like this. Our partials are good, so the speed is there but I don’t have it in myself today to put every part together and that’s why we missed the chance to go to Q2 today. When conditions are like this you need to really be 100% so it’s a shame, because we could have been there. Learning the circuit, hopefully everything is more stable tomorrow to enjoy Brazil more!”
“Today was a difficult one, I am quite sick and lacking energy to really move with the bike when the conditions are tough like this. Our partials are good, so the speed is there but I don’t have it in myself today to put every part together and that’s why we missed the chance to go to Q2 today. When conditions are like this you need to really be 100% so it’s a shame, because we could have been there. Learning the circuit, hopefully everything is more stable tomorrow to enjoy Brazil more!”
