MotoGP schedule change: “We are full attack from P1” - Marc Marquez

After talk that Ducati would block a change to the Friday MotoGP format until the start of next season, it has now been officially confirmed that opening practice will no longer count towards direct Q2 access.
Marc Marquez, MotoGP, Dutch MotoGP, 24 June
Marc Marquez, MotoGP, Dutch MotoGP, 24 June

From next month’s Silverstone round, only lap times set on Friday afternoon will determine the top ten riders heading straight for Qualifying 2 (without the nee🐭d to take part in Qualifying 1).

While Practice 2 is thought to෴ have been faster than Practice 1 in 98% of cases anyway, the chance of possible weather changes in the ℱafternoon meant many riders pushed for a flying lap at the end of the morning just in case.

That involved taking risks on a dirty track with only minimal set-up work, something that the new format will reduce. It will alsღo allow more potential time for teams to work on the development of new parts, without worrying about the stopwatch.

But eight-time worldဣ champion Marc Marquez had been hoping MotoGP might go further and designate all of Friday as free practice, then switch Saturday’s FP3 into the top ten decid🐷er for Q1/Q2.

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Prior to the introduction of Sprint races this season,🗹 the combined practice results from Friday's FP1 and FP2 plus Saturday's FP3 were used to determine the top ten riders heading ♊straight to Q2.

“For me now on the race weekends, the problem is that we are full attack from P1,” Marquez explained. “Last year you w🌌ere like just pushing in FP3 [Saturday morning] if it was normal weather. Tha🃏t would be the time to do the lap time.

“But now [wit🌱h the new Sprint race schedule] in Practice 1 you already want soft tyres, full attack. In Practice 2, twoꦉ more soft tyres. Then Qualifying, then the Sprint race…

“This is what I say, and I continue saying, that for the future maybe we need to readjust - I don'🐟t think to take out the Sprint race, but maybe just forget about Friday. Friday must be a fre𒊎e practice and then just concentrate on Saturday.

“But everybody is 𝓀riding a lot more in the limit.”

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