Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Make First Strides in Assen

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi have started their quest at the Cathedral with a full-on schedule for the Friday. Their first day at the TT Assen Circuit was filled with preparing their bikes' set-up and tyre allocation as well as trying the updated frame, and their hard work paid off. They booked solid progress, setting the first and sixth fastest time of the day respectively.

Rossi didn’t let a second go to waste once the morning session was restarted. Similar to his teammate, he started the day at the Assen track with getting a feel for his bike with the updated frame. He ended the session with an eight-minute shoot-out to secure a place in the top-10, in case it would rain in the afternoon and tomorrow. The Doctor pushed hard to secure fifth in the FP1 rankings as he dropped a 134.841s fastest lap, 0.161s from the front.

The nine-time World Champion gradually chipped away at his time in FP2 as he completed another 19 laps on top of this morning's 22 laps, to make the nimble character of the Yamaha suit the twisty sections of the Cathedral. Working continuously on squeezing out extra tenths of a second, the Italian wrapped up the session setting a 133.830s lap for sixth place in the FP2 and combined results, with a 0.700s margin to his teammate.

Valentino Rossi

Position: 6th - Time: 1'33.830 - Laps: 22

This day was tough, as always in Assen, but in the end it was quite positive for me because I was in the top-5 this morning and in sixth position this afternoon. It was very important to stay in the top-10 for Q2 tomorrow, because it looks like the weather will be worse then. We were quite lucky, because we had two dry sessions, which in Assen isn’t always the case. We were able to work on the chassis and my feeling with the bike is not so bad. For sure we still have some work to do. The balance of the bike is not at 100% yet, but for a Friday it was good.

Massimo Meregalli

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - Team Director

After the race in Barcelona, it was very important for us to start this weekend off on the right foot. We arrived at the circuit this morning knowing we had a lot of things we wanted to do in the two free practice sessions, and the results show the fruits of our labour. Following the riders positive feedback at the Catalunya test, this morning we focused on making a comparison between the updated and standard frame with both riders. Besides that we could also work on the settings and got a first impression of the tyre allocation. Though it is still early days, and tomorrow’s conditions might be very different from what we experienced today, we have laid some solid groundwork. The riders are both feeling comfortable on their bikes. Their first and sixth place could prove to be crucial if it rains during FP3 tomorrow, as their position in the combined results will see them both promote straight into Q2.