Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia
Practice report

Red Bull Ring MotoGP: Miller leads Lecuona in wet/dry FP2

Pramac’s Jack Miller led Tech 3 rookie Iker Lecuona in a weather-affected second MotoGP practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Jack Miller, Pramac Racing

Jack Miller, Pramac Racing

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

A burst of rain at Turns 3 and 4 towards the end of the Moto3 session left only a small section of the circuit wet, which kept most riders in the garage for most of MotoGP FP2.

Suzuki’s Joan Mir, Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira and Alex Marquez on the Honda – riders with little wet weather experience in the premier class – ventured out for a look at the conditions on wet tyres.

Oliveira set a 1m39.484s, which along with Aleix Espargaro’s 1m40.346s on the Aprilia was the only lap times on the board until the closing stages.

After a handful more riders showed the track had dried enough, there was a mass exodus from pitlane of slick-shod motorcycles.

Avintia’s Johann Zarco had moved the benchmark with a 1m34.271s with 10 minutes to go on wet tyres, though this was blitzed by Miller on his first dry tyre lap.

The Australian shot to the top of the standings with a 1m30.838s with four minutes to go, which he would improve on his next three efforts.

Miller’s run culminated with a 1m26.475s to lead the FP2 times by 0.753 seconds ahead of Lecuona.

His Tech 3 teammate Miguel Oliveira trailed him in third, with Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Mir sandwiching Zarco to complete the top six positions.

Alex Marquez was 1.3s off the pace in seventh on the factory Honda, with Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi on the factory Yamahas eighth and ninth at the end of what will have been a frustrating afternoon given the continuation of the marque’s Brno woes in FP1.

Stefan Bradl rounded out the top 10 on the second works Honda, with Michele Pirro 11th on the Pramac Ducati in place of the injured Francesco Bagnaia.

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo was 12th ahead of Petronas Yamaha teammate Franco Morbidelli, who had an embarrassing moment in pitlane at the end of the session when he almost dropped his Yamaha as he dismounted.

Only the factory KTM pairing of Brno winner Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro – who remains fastest of all on combined times – didn’t set laptimes in FP2, though did venture out on circuit for a sighting lap at the end. 

Austrian MotoGP - FP2 results:

Cla # Rider Bike Time
1 43 Australia Jack Miller
Ducati 1'26.475
2 27 Spain Iker Lecuona
KTM 1'27.228
3 88 Portugal Miguel Oliveira
KTM 1'27.421
4 42 Spain Alex Rins
Suzuki 1'27.458
5 5 France Johann Zarco
Ducati 1'27.625
6 36 Spain Joan Mir
Suzuki 1'27.793
7 73 Spain Alex Marquez
Honda 1'27.839
8 12 Spain Maverick Viñales
Yamaha 1'27.941
9 46 Italy Valentino Rossi
Yamaha 1'27.967
10 6 Germany Stefan Bradl
Honda 1'28.012
11 51 Italy Michele Pirro
Ducati 1'28.444
12 20 France Fabio Quartararo
Yamaha 1'29.264
13 21 Italy Franco Morbidelli
Yamaha 1'29.597
14 9 Italy Danilo Petrucci
Ducati 1'29.669
15 35 United Kingdom Cal Crutchlow
Honda 1'29.984
16 30 Japan Takaaki Nakagami
Honda 1'30.704
17 53 Spain Tito Rabat
Ducati 1'31.941
18 4 Italy Andrea Dovizioso
Ducati
19 38 United Kingdom Bradley Smith
Aprilia
20 41 Spain Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia
21 33 South Africa Brad Binder
KTM
22 44 Spain Pol Espargaro
KTM

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Red Bull Ring MotoGP: KTM's Espargaro tops FP1
Next article Ducati to decide Dovizioso future after Austria MotoGP races

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia