Submitted by David Emmett on
Marc Marquez has started Silverstone in determined mood, topping the first session of free practice for the MotoGP class from early in the session and never relinquishing his lead. Jorge Lorenzo ended the sesssion in second, but four tenths slower than Marquez, and nearly half a second faster than his teammate Valentino Rossi. A brace of Ducatis followed, Andrea Iannone ahead of his teammate Andrea Dovizioso. Scott Redding had a strong first session, ending FP1 in 6th, less than two tenths behind Rossi in 3rd, and first satellite rider. Bradley Smith put the Tech 3 Yamaha into 7th, ahead of Dani Pedrosa.
With good weather expected this afternoon, and the possibility of rain on Saturday, the FP2 session this afternoon is likely to be crucial, and hard fought. A top 10 spot will be vital in FP2 if riders are to avoid the ignominy of going through Q1.
Results:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Diff | Diff Previous |
| 1 | 93 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 2'03.111 | ||
| 2 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 2'03.499 | 0.388 | 0.388 |
| 3 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 2'03.967 | 0.856 | 0.468 |
| 4 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | 2'04.072 | 0.961 | 0.105 |
| 5 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 2'04.115 | 1.004 | 0.043 |
| 6 | 45 | Scott Redding | Honda | 2'04.170 | 1.059 | 0.055 |
| 7 | 38 | Bradley Smith | Yamaha | 2'04.313 | 1.202 | 0.143 |
| 8 | 26 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 2'04.347 | 1.236 | 0.034 |
| 9 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | Yamaha | 2'04.364 | 1.253 | 0.017 |
| 10 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 2'04.413 | 1.302 | 0.049 |
| 11 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | 2'04.659 | 1.548 | 0.246 |
| 12 | 25 | Maverick Viñales | Suzuki | 2'04.728 | 1.617 | 0.069 |
| 13 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Suzuki | 2'04.816 | 1.705 | 0.088 |
| 14 | 68 | Yonny Hernandez | Ducati | 2'04.817 | 1.706 | 0.001 |
| 15 | 50 | Eugene Laverty | Honda | 2'05.170 | 2.059 | 0.353 |
| 16 | 19 | Alvaro Bautista | Aprilia | 2'05.290 | 2.179 | 0.120 |
| 17 | 76 | Loris Baz | Yamaha Forward | 2'05.403 | 2.292 | 0.113 |
| 18 | 6 | Stefan Bradl | Aprilia | 2'05.956 | 2.845 | 0.553 |
| 19 | 69 | Nicky Hayden | Honda | 2'05.987 | 2.876 | 0.031 |
| 20 | 15 | Alex De Angelis | ART | 2'06.045 | 2.934 | 0.058 |
| 21 | 17 | Karel Abraham | Honda | 2'06.154 | 3.043 | 0.109 |
| 22 | 43 | Jack Miller | Honda | 2'06.478 | 3.367 | 0.324 |
| 23 | 63 | Mike Di Meglio | Ducati | 2'06.482 | 3.371 | 0.004 |
| 24 | 8 | Hector Barbera | Ducati | 2'07.820 | 4.709 | 1.338 |
| 25 | 71 | Claudio Corti | Yamaha Forward | 2'08.286 | 5.175 | 0.466 |
Comments
Marc
I hope Marc will learn a lot from this season. I he weren't lost 'sure' points at Argentina, Italy and Catalunya he will be first in standings no matter what!
Actually, the same was at the end of last year, I mean on RSM , ARA and AUS. I mean on RSM (he would be comfortably second behind Rossi), ARA (he didn't go to pit on time) and AUS (he was over 5 seconds in the lead). These results I don't see as Yamaha resurgence.
Complete package?
@ Spdzlla - At the end of a season, a rider's position in the championship is a fairly good indicator of his overall talent, combined with the grade of his machine's speed and handling. The last two years, most disinterested observers would acknowledge Marquez had the best bike by some margin. This year he doesn't possess that advantage, which has revealed up his deficiencies in tactical intelligence - a crucial component of a champion.
Learning...
Which makes him EXTREMELY dangerous right now. Has he not shown maturity the last 4 GP's?
The best rider!
Hmmmmmm, if you remember, Dani Pedrosa - healthy Dani Pedrosa - was on the same bike last year and he achieve only one victory and 4th place in the championship. On top of that, a lots of riders were cought stating that Marc makes the difference not the bike, if you check statements from last year you will find it for sure. The same story has been told for Stoner and he proved that he was the difference, not the bike.
Either way, that was not my point. I think that Marc would be first in standings by far if weren't his lust for win. I hope he will be smarter in the future and that he will settle for second if he can't get first place, that is all.
I watch and follow motorcycle racing since 1996 and I never saw a rider like Marc! He is just amazing!
Nope
Nope, Marc won't lead the championship even if he didn't crash at those three rounds.
Let's just imagine if he hold himself and finish the race. He will be 2nd in Argentina, 4th in Mugello, and 3rd in Catalunya which mean he got 49 points. it will put him at 208 points. Still 3 points down on Rossi and Lorenzo.