Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia returned to action today at the historic TT Circuit of Assen for the first two free practice sessions of the Dutch GP, the ninth round of the 2021 MotoGP season.
After a completely dry FP1, the rain started to fall at the Dutch circuit early this afternoon, about ten minutes after the start of FP2. Eleventh at the end of this morning session, Miller was able to take advantage of just the first few minutes of FP2 before the rain began, improving his time slightly and finishing in 1:34.066, in twelfth place. Bagnaia closed the first day in fourteenth place in 1:34.265, the same time he set during this morning’s FP1.
Both Ducati Lenovo Team riders will aim to access Q2 directly by improving their lap times during tomorrow morning’s FP3, where the weather conditions could prove to be a determining factor to decide the final standings before qualifying.
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 12th (1:34.066)
“I’m pretty happy with this first day. This morning we focused mainly on the race pace with used tyres. We knew it would rain in the afternoon, and we wanted to try the time attack right away. But, in the opening minutes of FP2, we had to try something on the setup and then it started to rain, leaving us with no chance to improve our lap times. Anyway, I’m positive, and I’m sure we’ll be able to do so tomorrow”.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 14th (1:34.265)
“I’m not very satisfied with this first day at Assen. I like the track a lot, but I still have to adapt to it. We have a lot of work to do on the bike, and I feel we are still missing something. In the afternoon, we did a modification that, unfortunately, I didn’t like and that caused us to lose time, preventing us from improving our lap time before the rain started to fall. The good thing is that now we have a clearer idea of which direction to take. If FP3 tomorrow morning will be dry, I’m confident I can be fast and competitive”.
The Ducati Lenovo Team riders will be back on track tomorrow at 9:55 am for FP3, while qualifying for the Dutch GP will be held at 2:10 pm at the end of FP4.
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