MotoGP Argentina FP1 LIVE: Takaaki Nakagami is well healed! – Paddock GP

MotoGP returned to Argentina in 2014 after a long 15-year hiatus, with the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in the northern province of Santiago del Estero becoming the host site for the Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina, a race that had previously been held in Buenos Aires, occasionally from 1961 to 1999.

In 125cc, 250cc and 500cc, Marco Melandri, Olivier Jacque and Kenny Roberts Jr were the last winners in the Argentine capital, while Jaume Masia, Lorenzo Baldassarri and Mark Marquez remain the latest winners to date, as the global pandemic canceled the trip to South America after the 2019 edition.

Closer to us, the MotoGP 2022 championship remains on a very rainy race in Indonesia after its opening in Qatar…

After sand and water, it’s finally Enea Bastianini who retains championship leadership ahead of Brad Binder, Fabio Quartararo, Miguel Oliveira and Johann Zarco in a still very tight top 5. Once again, regularity pays and, in this regard, Jack Miller and especially Mark Marquez are already paying a heavy price for the various incidents suffered.

Of course, the great and unfortunate news concerns the withdrawal of Mark Marquez plagued by a return of diplopia for an indefinite period. The Honda driver will therefore be absent from the race which will start on Sunday at 8 p.m. (French time) and will take place over 25 laps, replaced by Stefan Bradl although it is not legally required until Austin.

Another disruption of a weekend announced under a blue sky, the plane breakdowns which generated a long suspense and upset the program.
Finally, the last plane arrived at the right airport last night at 10 p.m. local time and, like VR46, Tech3 and Gresini, many people had to work all night to be as ready as possible this morning…

Finally, the big question mark concerns the grip of the track, which Michelin and Brembo wait very tenuously…even if the Moto3 and Moto2 immediately achieved very solid lap times from FP1 despite an extremely dusty track.
Anyway, we will have to deal with it, only with two free practice sessions before qualifying for MotoGP.

While waiting to find out more, as the 24 drivers prepare for this first free practice session extended to 60 minutes, under a clear sky with temperatures of 22° in the air and 34° on the ground, let’s enjoy of these few live moments thanks to the official website MotoGP.com :

Here are the latest references available:

When the red lights go out…Franco Morbidelli preserves the tradition by starting the track first, unlike his teammate Fabio Quartararo which starts last.

At the tire level, the preference goes to the soft front and the rear medium, despite a few exceptions.

After the first flying lap, Fabio Quartararo scored the first reference in 1’43.224.

On the next pass, Takaaki Nakagami regains the advantage before handing over the leadership to jorge martin then Alex Espargaro in 1’41.040 in the third flying lap.

Alex Rins improves to 1’40.667 at the end of the next loop but we are still in a period where the sectors light up in red and Brad Binder takes command in 1’40.590 before losing to Fabio Quartararo in 1’40.549 at the end of the fifth lap. However, the French driver still concedes 9 km/h less than his competitors on the straight…

When Pol Espargaro tears off a wing of the Ducati of Fabio Di Giannantonio…

The lap times continue to go down, this time under the pressure of Takaaki Nakagami in 1’40.473, when most drivers start to return to their boxes after this first run.

The hierarchy is then composed of Takaaki Nakagami before Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder, Alex Rins, Franco Morbidelli, Aleix Espargaro, Alex Márquez, Joan Mir, Maverick Vinales, Miguel Oliveira, Pol Espargaro, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Luca Marini, Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini, Stefan Bradl, Johann Zarco , Remy Gardner, Jack Miller, Raul Fernandez, Darryn Binder, Andrea Dovizioso and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

On recovery, Brad Binder lowers the reference in 1’40.279 but Fabio Quartararowho still hasn’t stopped, is the first to cross the 1’40 mark in 1’39.990.

After a rodeo and then a lap canceled for having crossed the limits of the track, Jack Miller is positioned second, 2/10 from the Frenchman’s Yamaha.

Andrea Dovizioso swapped his hard rear tire for a medium one and moved up to 12th position.

Mid-session, Alex Rins ranks third in a top 10 now made up of Fabio Quartararo, Jack Miller, Alex Rins, Brad Binder, Pol Espargaro, Franco Morbidelli, Joan Mir, Maverick Vinales, Takaaki Nakagmi and Francesco Bagnaia.

In the aftermath, we witness an Aprilia offensive, with first of all Maverick Vinales who takes the provisional second place, then Alex Espargaro who rises squarely to the top of the table in 1’39.847!
The driver from Granollers then improves to 1’39.745 then 1’39.509, a faster time than that of FP1 in 2019, while there are still 22 minutes left in the session.

Conversely, Johann Zarco appears to be in difficulty for the moment, in 22nd position…

While waiting to switch to the soft rear tyres, everyone is now using a medium, while eight riders try the hard front tyre.

A good quarter of an hour before the checkered flag, Alex Rins back to second place, Johann Zarco in 14th then provisional 8th place.

After another stop, Takaaki Nakagami is the first to emerge with a soft rear tire, while Johann Zarco (Rear medium) integrates the provisional Top 5 in rear medium.

Two minutes later, the rear soft tires start to come out all over the place as Takaaki Naqkagami achieves 1’39.486.

Six minutes from the end of the session, things are accelerating, as evidenced by the sectors that light up in red.
Fabio Quartararo, on the back stretch, first slap a 1’39.216! El Diablo continues his effort in 1’39.155.

For the accesses, Alex Rins ranks second, Brad Binder third, Marco Bezzecchi sixth but things are constantly changing and we are still improving certain sectors…

The VR46 Rookie then climbed to second position on the handlebars of his 2021 Ducati Desmosedici!

Takaaki Nakagamiwho almost did not participate in this Grand Prix due to covid-19 positivity, regained the advantage in the last lap in 1’39.028.

For now, Takaaki Nakagami, Fabio Quartararo, Pol Espargaro, Aleix Espargaro, Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Rins, Miguel Oliveira, Maverick Vinales, Brad Binder and Joan Mir are therefore pre-qualified for Q2, which is reassuring for the reigning world champion on a circuit with little grip…

Results of the FP1 of the MotoGP Argentinian Grand Prix at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit:

Ranking credit: MotoGP.com