Danilo Petrucci will start from the third row of the grid in the Catalan Grand Prix that will be held tomorrow at the Montmelò circuit, on the outskirts of Barcelona.
The Ducati Team rider hailing from Umbria went for his time attack on the final minutes of FP3 this morning managing to advance directly into Q2, thanks to the fourth-fastest time overall in 1:39.702. In the second qualifying session this afternoon, Danilo was able to improve a few tenths further his personal best, closing with the ninth time in 1:39.641.
It was a more difficult day for Andrea Dovizioso. After finishing the first three free practice sessions in thirteenth overall, he was forced to take part in Q1 where, as he wasn’t able to take full advantage of the soft tyres he ended with the seventh time overall with a lap time in 1:40.109. Andrea will start from the sixth row of the grid in tomorrow’s race at the Catalan race track.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:39.641 (9th)
“This morning, we have finalized our work following the direction identified yesterday afternoon. After getting direct access to Q2, I managed to complete another good lap in qualifying: we are all very close, so I am satisfied with the third row. It won’t be an easy race tomorrow: it will be difficult to make the right tyre choice and manage them for all the duration of the Grand Prix, especially given the track conditions and the low temperatures to which we are not used. However, I remain confident, and I want to thank the team for all the work they have done.”
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:40.109 (17th)
“Unfortunately I am still struggling to understand how to brake properly, and obviously this complicates everything, especially in qualifying. As I am not feeling comfortable when braking, I can’t be as fast as I want and try to make the most of the tyres. It’s a shame because our pace for the race is not bad, but the position from which we will start tomorrow will definitely affect our performance.”
The Ducati Team will be back on track tomorrow at 10:40 AM for the warm-up, while the Catalan Grand Prix will kick off at 3:00 PM local time (GMT +2.00) on a 24- lap distance.
