German MotoGP: Iannone, Suzuki lead Sachsenring FP1
UPDATE: Franco Morbidelli withdraws from the remainder of the weekend and will be replaced by local star Stefan Bradl.
Andreaꦓ Iannone put Suzuki at the top of the timesheets during opening practice for the German MotoGP.
Marc Marquez, winner at Sachsenring for the past eight years, dominated for 37 of the 45-minꦛutes, but when Iannone reversed his previous tyre choice - switching to a new medium front and new soft rear - the Italian pushed 0.390s clear of the Honda rider.
UPDATE: Franco Morbidelli withdraws from the remainder of the weekend and will be replaced by local star Stefan Bradl.
Andrea Iannone put Suzuki atﷺ the top of the tim🌼esheets during opening practice for the German MotoGP.
Marc Marquez, winner at Sachsenring for the past eight years, dominated for 37 of the♓ 45-minutes, but when Iannone reversed his previous tyre choice - switching to a new medium front and new soft rear - the Italian 𓆉pushed 0.390s clear of the Honda rider.
Marquez, who leads the world championship ൲by 41 points after victory at Assen, stuck with the same medium-soꦐft tyres for the whole session.
Valentino Rossi made it three manufacturers in the top tꦯhree by lapping 0.132s slower than Marquez on his final run.
The Movistar Yamaha rider ha🍷d used soft front-medium rear tyres for most of the session, but his tyre choice during the speedy final run remained a mystery due to 'missing data' from the Michelin transponders.
Team-mate Maverick Vinales also ran soft-medium tyres, with his best time of the morning co⭕m🍃ing on the 13th lap of a long 14 lap opening run.
Andrea Dovizioso was the quickest Ducati rider in fifth (+0.819s), the firsꦅt of four 🍎Desmosedicis on the timesheets, just ahead of Pramac riders Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller, plus factory team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
Petrucci switched to a new har🦄d rear for his best time, with Miller repeating that tactic to le♏ap into the top ten on his final lap. Lorenzo used one set of soft-medium tyres throughout.
Scott Redding enjoyed a strong session with ninth place (+1.011s) on the Aprilia, albeit after fitting new soft tyres front and rear for t༺his final run. Monster Yamaha Tech3's Johann Zarco completed the top ten, at a track where former team-mate Jonas Folger took his only MotoGP podium a year ago.
Dani Pedrosa, who annou🤡nced on Thursday thཧat he will retire at the end of this season, was 14th (+1.163s) with fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow even further down the order, in 19th (+1.515s).
Pedrosa's best time came on new medium tyres front and rear, while Crutch🌊low kept the same medium-medium rubber for the whole session.
T🦂hree riders - Alex Rins, Alvaro Bautista and Tito Rabat - fell in quick succession, in separate accidents, during the middle stages. All were unharmed.
Franco Morbidelli was 22nd quickest (+1.🧸937s) after completing 19 laps on his return from a hand fracture.
KTM wild-card Mika Kallio was 24th o🃏ut of the 25 riders, ah꧑ead of only Xavier Simeon.
The infamous Turn 11 downhill plunge has been named tꦆhe 'Ralf Waldmann Corner' in memory of the late German Grand Prix winner, ahead of this year's event.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valenti🐻no Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
