Rossi Secures 8th in tough qualifying session
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19/03/2018
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Valentino Rossi rode on the limit this evening during an intense 15-minute qualifying session at the Losail International Circuit, to secure eighth on the grid for tomorrow's Grand Prix of Qatar.
After displaying a fierce pace in FP4, Rossi was quick to start the 15-minute qualifying shoot-out. He found himself some clear track space on his first hot lap and slotted into fifth place. Now in a rhythm, he dropped under the 1'55 mark on his second try of 1'54.850s, but it didn't help him improve his placement as he dropped to ninth position.
He came in for a fresh set of tyres with a little more than six and a half minutes left on the clock and had another go at a time attack only two minutes later. Eager to move up the ranking order, the Doctor knew he had to squeeze in a final hot lap before time ran out. He clocked a 1'54.389s, that put him in eighth place, 0.709s from pole. Rossi will start tomorrow's race from the middle of the third row..
Tomorrow the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates will be back on track from 14:40 - 15:00 local track time (GMT+3) for the Warm Up session, followed by the race under the floodlights, that starts at 19:00.
Valentino Rossi
Position: 8th - Time: 1'54.389 - Laps: 7
"The lap time was not too bad, but the position is not fantastic. I hoped that a 1'54.3s was enough to start from the second row, but unfortunately it wasn't. Starting from the third row is more complicated, but it's also true that maybe 10 or 12 riders have a very good pace, so that's all the people in front of me and also people behind me that are all very strong. I also have a good pace, but it's very difficult to understand what will happen tomorrow. Everything will depend on the second half of the race. If the tyres are resistant, you can keep up your pace for 22 laps. During the qualifying I didn't feel very well, especially with the rear - I had too much spin. For tomorrow we're more worried about the front, because with the best front tyre we are very tight in the last laps. But today is Saturday, tomorrow will be Sunday - maybe we'll change something."
Report provided by Yamaha Racing
