The constantly changing conditions for a demanding day in France ensured that Alex Marquez and Stefan Bradl adapted over the course of the day and were satisfied with their work in Free Practice 4.
The times were immediately faster on Saturday morning despite the cold conditions. The drivers set their best times of the weekend just a few laps in Free Practice 3. Conditions would continue to improve over the course of the day and the track temperature would more than double between RP 3 and qualifying.
Alex Marquez was able to keep up the pace and improve his lap time several times during the first practice session to stay in the top ten. Unfortunately, the MotoGP rookie was the victim of a harmless fall at Turn 3, which is typical for the Le Mans circuit in the cold. A red flag during Free Practice 4 caused further interruptions to the day, but Alex got off to a strong start in the first quarter and was competing for a transfer place. On a 1’32.774, Alex will line up right behind fellow rookie colleague Brad Binder, with the Honda rider watching progress forward, with so many riders showing a similar pace.
The colder temperatures did not deter a refreshed Stefan Bradl, who took to the track right at the beginning of RP3. Like his teammate, Bradl suffered a fall on the last corner during the session and walked away unharmed. Bradl shortened his best time from the 11th to the 1st quarter by 0.8 seconds and finished the session as the eleventh fastest driver. Stefan’s 1’32.861 was only a tenth of a second away and started two rows up on the grid. Bradl is working on used tires in RP4 and is ready to fight forward on Sunday.
Cal Crutchlow got back in shape and fought for pole position in the second quarter through the finals. The LCR Honda rider starts from the head of the second row as the top Honda.
The 27-lap MotoGP race on Sunday starts at 1:00 p.m. local time after the Moto3 race.