Team Suzuki Press Office – August 24.
Alex Rins: 5th – 1:58.670
Sylvain Guintoli: 19th – 2:00.660
• Alex Rins snatches 5th place after coming through Q1.
• Sylvain Guintoli carves time off his previous fastest lap.
• Team looking forward to tomorrow’s race with positivity.
The important FP3 session on Saturday morning at Silverstone got off to a solid start for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders. With the new surface in good condition, and the track running at optimum temperature, lap times began to come down.
Alex Rins set a mid 1:59 lap to go 4th place with about 15 minutes left on the clock, but the Spaniard later got bumped out of the Top 10.
In the hot FP4 session, Rins put together a string of strong laps and ensured he would be ready for the highly competitive Q1. Sylvain Guintoli continued to shave time off his previous best, feeling ever more comfortable.
The pair worked very well in Q1, Rins fought hard and ensured he stayed within the top two to graduate into the imperative Q2 session. Guintoli was a second faster than on Friday, he completed the session in 9th place and will therefore start 19th on the grid.
Time was tight in the short 15-minute Q2, and Rins did a great job – focusing on bringing his lap time down over the course of the session. Placing 3rd on his penultimate lap, he completed the session in 5th – just 0.502 seconds from the pole position – he will set off from this strong second row spot for tomorrow’s 20 lap race.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“Alex did a good job during qualifying; he rode well to come through Q1 and then set a strong lap in Q2. Fifth on the grid is a good place to start because we feel that we have good pace and solid consistency for tomorrow. We’ll hope for a nice start and a good race. Sylvain has also done well today, and we’re satisfied.”
Alex Rins:
“It was a shame to miss out on the front row, but the important thing is that my pace was decent and consistent. FP4 went well with the used tyres too, and that’s a positive sign. Our bike is very agile, and it could suit Silverstone very well, which could give us an advantage. Tomorrow I’ll aim for the podium, I feel my bike is strong enough, and I will try hard.”
Sylvain Guintoli:
“FP4 went well with the race tyres, and I managed to set my best lap on my final lap – so that was a good feeling. I also improved my time during Q1, and it felt great to push the bike on this newly resurfaced track. I’m going to do my best to have a good race tomorrow.”
GP of Great Britain – Qualifying Classification:
1. Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’58.168
2. Valentino ROSSI Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1’58.596 0.428 / 0.428
3. Jack MILLER Pramac Racing 1’58.602 0.434 / 0.006
4. Fabio QUARTARARO Petronas Yamaha SRT 1’58.612 0.444 / 0.010
5. Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’58.670 0.502 / 0.058
6. Maverick VIÑALES Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1’58.762 0.594 / 0.092
7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’58.762 0.594 / 0.000
8. Franco MORBIDELLI Petronas Yamaha SRT 1’59.096 0.928 / 0.334
9. Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL 1’59.243 1.075 / 0.147
10. Takaaki NAKAGAMI LCR Honda IDEMITSU 1’59.427 1.259 / 0.184
11. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati Team 1’59.487 1.319 / 0.060
12. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1’59.620 1.452 / 0.133
13. Pol ESPARGARO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’59.549 Q1
14. Johann ZARCO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’59.648 Q1
15. Miguel OLIVEIRA Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1’59.758 Q1
16. Tito RABAT Reale Avintia Racing 1’59.916 Q1
17. Andrea IANNONE Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2’00.240 Q1
18. Francesco BAGNAIA Pramac Racing 2’00.362 Q1
19. Sylvain GUINTOLI Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 2’00.660 Q1
20. Hafizh SYAHRIN Red Bull KTM Tech 3 2’00.700 Q1
21. Jorge LORENZO Repsol Honda Team 2’01.562 Q1
22. Karel ABRAHAM Reale Avintia Racing 2’04.845 Q1
