The opening day of the Australian Grand Prix took place in cool but dry conditions, allowing the riders to start the work on the setup of their bikes in preparation for tomorrow’s qualifying.

After setting the quickest lap time in the FP1 session, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez concluded the day in second position, just 0.005” down on provisional pole-setter Aleix Espargaro.

Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa improved his speed throughout the day and finished ninth in the combined times, less than half a second from the top.


Marc Marquez 93 - 2nd / 1'29.230

“I’m happy with today because we started with a good base setup in FP1 and I immediately felt good on the bike. Our pace was fast and we were able to do some good work with the tyres. Anyway, I think for tomorrow we can try and further improve the setup, especially the stability of the bike in the fast corners. There are a few places where we could be quicker if we can manage to take another step in that area. The temperature was cold and the wind was quite strong, and sometimes it almost made the front fold. But that’s normal here at this track, and you must try to find a compromise with the setup in order to minimize these factors.”

Dani Pedrosa 26 - 9th / 1'29.702

“Well, today was a little bit difficult to immediately find the right setting. We tried a few things, but we still have margin to improve. We were able to try a few tyres but we still have to make a few adjustments on the setup. In the afternoon the asphalt was a bit warmer than in the morning, but the wind and the cloudy skies made the temperature colder. For the moment we’re suffering a bit too much spinning and we have to improve the front feeling. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to take a step forward.”