Marquez schools MotoGP riders in the rain

Marquez schools the rest in the rain
Marquez schools the rest in the rain

FP1 saw some qualifying simulations as doubts about the weather forecast continued at the Red Bull Ring, and they were proved right as the dry and pleasant conditions of FP1 were a distant memory come FP2. A downpour delayed the session and conditions remained very wet when action continued, with Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) looking like he was going to end FP2 on top. But Marc Marquez, the best rider in MotoGP, struck back and the Brit was relegated to second…ahead of the familiar trio of Petrucci, Lorenzo and Dovizioso, who also showed great pace in the wet.

Marc Marquez

“It was a good day for us. This afternoon, we actually had some doubts about going out in the rain, because it should be dry tomorrow afternoon and Sunday. Anyway, we decided to try, and we just did a few laps to check the electronics and a little bit the setup. I immediately felt very good and confident, but the most important thing is that I also had a good feeling this morning in the dry. We knew there was the possibility of rain later but we decided to go on with the same tire, the medium spec, for the entire session, working for the race as we normally do. Tomorrow we’ll try the other tire specs. Sure, the Ducatis are very fast here, especially Dovizioso, but we’re not far off."

Practice 2 Results (Wet)

POS RIDER TEAM BIKE TIME GAP LAPS
1 Marc Marquez Honda Honda 1m33.995s 7
2 Scott Redding Aprilia Aprilia 1m34.538s 0.543s 13
3 Danilo Petrucci Pramac Ducati Ducati 1m34.981s 0.986s 8
4 Jorge Lorenzo Ducati Ducati 1m35.488s 1.493s 6
5 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Ducati 1m35.514s 1.519s 9
6 Bradley Smith KTM KTM 1m35.970s 1.975s 8
7 Alex Rins Suzuki Suzuki 1m35.985s 1.990s 14
8 Jack Miller Pramac Ducati Ducati 1m36.135s 2.140s 10
9 Cal Crutchlow LCR Honda Honda 1m36.202s 2.207s 11
10 Valentino Rossi Yamaha Yamaha 1m36.327s 2.332s 14
11 Andrea Iannone Suzuki Suzuki 1m36.384s 2.389s 10
12 Xavier Simeon Avintia Ducati Ducati 1m36.950s 2.955s 8
13 Franco Morbidelli MVDS Honda Honda 1m37.105s 3.110s 10
14 Tito Rabat Avintia Ducati Ducati 1m37.296s 3.301s 10
15 Johann Zarco Tech3 Yamaha Yamaha 1m37.361s 3.366s 14
16 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia Aprilia 1m37.552s 3.557s 5
17 Thomas Luthi MVDS Honda Honda 1m37.772s 3.777s 9
18 Karel Abraham Aspar Ducati Ducati 1m37.876s 3.881s 13
19 Hafizh Syahrin Tech3 Yamaha Yamaha 1m38.072s 4.077s 14
20 Maverick Vinales Yamaha Yamaha 1m38.174s 4.179s 8
21 Alvaro Bautista Aspar Ducati Ducati 1m38.892s 4.897s 11
22 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda Honda 1m39.349s 5.354s 12
23 Dani Pedrosa Honda Honda 1m39.911s 5.916s 4