First day of track action for Nakagami in Portugal
Autódromo Internacional do AlgarveIDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami finished 16th on Friday at the Autodromo do Algarve.
Friday sessions were demanding for Nakagami and the crew: the challenging track conditions and a lack of rear grip prevented the Japanese from squeezing the potential of his Honda. However, despite the position, Takaaki emerged as the first Honda of the classification, less than a second away from the leader (+0.9).
With a clear understanding of the areas that need improvement, the team is optimistic that the upcoming changes could unlock Nakagami's full potential ahead of tomorrow's session and Sprint.
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 20th.
Johann Zarco and the crew found the first practices on Portuguese soil challenging due to weather conditions the previous night. Despite the struggles, the rider admits to seeing the bike's potential and positives to fix the current situation.
After gathering information and identifying areas for improvement, Zarco and the crew are now committed to taking a step ahead of tomorrow to be ready for the Sprint.
I thought I could be faster today, but we've found some problems on track, and I struggled to get the speed. It looks like all the Honda riders are finding similar problems, so we are now analyzing the data to take a step and do better tomorrow.
We've been unlucky with the track conditions; that was the main problem. I thought we could be faster, as we've got the potential, but somehow, we've struggled with the rear grip. However, we are not that far, and if we get to change some small details, I believe we can enjoy the Saturday sessions and the Sprint.
