Malaysia’s usual unpredictable weather shuffles the cards on the first day of free practice for #MalaysiasnGP, forcing riders to go out on track in wet conditions in the afternoon after the morning sun.
Danilo Petrucci starts FP1 well: his race pace – medium tyre – is good and his Top Speed is the highest (328.4 km/h). When he tries to return on track for the time attack with the soft rubber, however, he has only one lap available and is unable to take that step forward to conquer the Top 10 (11th place). Petrux’s performance is better in wet FP2 as the rider from Terni ends up 5th, three tenths of a second from the front row.
Scott Redding has to deal with physical conditions that are not excellent, forcing him to go to the Mobile Clinic after FP1. In FP2 the feeling is better but the gap from the Top 10 is still wide (6 tenths of a second).
11th – Danilo Petrucci – 2’01.560
“Mixed feelings on this first day. This morning I wasn’t going badly but I came back on track too late to make the best of the time attack. As a result and I couldn’t stay in the Top 10. This could be a problem. In the wet we are more competitive even if there are things to solve. I hope, however, that tomorrow it will be dry to stay in the Top 10”.
18th – Scott Redding – 2’03.056
“It was a very difficult day. Unfortunately, I am not in good condition and during the FP1 I have had difficulty breathing. The weather helped me a little bit in the afternoon and things improved. I hope to be able to make the most of it tomorrow because if I have to be honest the feelings are quite positive”.