Moreira just shy of points on Sachsenring Sprint Saturday
SachsenringDiogo Moreira ended Saturday's Sprint race in Germany in tenth place, with Luca Marini one place behind in 11th
Eager to fight for points, Diogo Moreira made a strong start and quickly joined the battle for the top ten around the right and demanding Sachsenring circuit. The Pro Honda LCR rider maintained a strong pace throughout the race and fought hard against his rivals, aiming to break into the points while gaining as many positions as possible. Despite struggling with grip, the Brazilian crossed the finish line in 10th place, making him the highest-finishing Honda rider in today's Sprint.
Finding no trouble in replicating his previous strong starts with the new grid layout, Luca Marini was able to make up a handful of places on the opening lap to move within striking distance of the top nine. Much of his 15-lap Sprint would be spent trying to find a route past Diogo Moreira, eventually crossing the line less than two tenths behind his fellow Honda RC213V rider and taking 11th.
Starting the day with a positive Free Practice 2 and a very competitive Q1 session, Joan Mir was able to grow his confidence ahead of the Sprint. Starting well, the #36 made up ground in the run to the first corner but was shuffled back in the melee and lost touch with the top ten. Missing the same feeling as in the morning, Mir kept his focus and brought his Honda home in 15th after briefly battling with Alex Rins.
Starting from 20th on the grid, Castrol Honda LCR replacement rider Cal Crutchlow made a strong launch and quickly caught up with the group ahead. On a demanding circuit and while testing a different setup, the Brit battled with his rivals throughout the Sprint. Without a few issues along the way, he believes he could have caught up with more riders and finished higher than 18th.
Sunday's 30-lap German Grand Prix is now all that awaits the Honda riders before the Summer Break.
It’s a nice track to ride, but the race is difficult because there’s only one racing line. We survived the Sprint and we’re happy with the result, although it’s a challenging track for our bike. I pushed as much as possible while staying in control and avoiding mistakes, so I’m pleased with the job we did. We’re missing some grip, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.
It’s a nice track to ride, but the race is difficult because there’s only one racing line. We survived the Sprint and we’re happy with the result, although it’s a challenging track for our bike. I pushed as much as possible while staying in control and avoiding mistakes, so I’m pleased with the job we did. We’re missing some grip, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.
We tried to do our best today and in Qualifying we were almost able to make it. Overall, our potential this weekend hasn’t been what we wanted. Certainly, the bike has improved compared to last year, but the others have also pushed their potential more and more. The top ten is the goal tomorrow but we need to remain realistic and base our goals on what we saw today.
We tried to do our best today and in Qualifying we were almost able to make it. Overall, our potential this weekend hasn’t been what we wanted. Certainly, the bike has improved compared to last year, but the others have also pushed their potential more and more. The top ten is the goal tomorrow but we need to remain realistic and base our goals on what we saw today.
We missed Q2 by barely one tenth and in FP2 I felt quite good about my speed. Our race was more or less done at the first corner when some riders did some things I was not expecting and I had to completely change my approach. I was a second slower than the pace I was showing in the morning when we used the same tyres. Strange to go from 1’21s to 1’22 and now we need to check the data as we have been trying many different things this season with the setup. A shame to not be able to fight more in the Sprint.
We missed Q2 by barely one tenth and in FP2 I felt quite good about my speed. Our race was more or less done at the first corner when some riders did some things I was not expecting and I had to completely change my approach. I was a second slower than the pace I was showing in the morning when we used the same tyres. Strange to go from 1’21s to 1’22 and now we need to check the data as we have been trying many different things this season with the setup. A shame to not be able to fight more in the Sprint.
Qualifying was not the best session, and then we took a gamble with the bike setup for the race, a setting I’d never ridden before, so considering everything, I’m pleased with the outcome. I took a step forward during the race, which is a positive. We struggled with a few things today that we can hopefully fix for tomorrow. Overall, I’m happy with today’s performance. Let’s see how it goes on Sunday!
Qualifying was not the best session, and then we took a gamble with the bike setup for the race, a setting I’d never ridden before, so considering everything, I’m pleased with the outcome. I took a step forward during the race, which is a positive. We struggled with a few things today that we can hopefully fix for tomorrow. Overall, I’m happy with today’s performance. Let’s see how it goes on Sunday!
