1. Jorge Martin (Pramac): “It was nice to start the weekend this way. I think we did a good job and quickly understood what I needed to be fast. We have to try to continue in this form and keep this pace. It will be difficult because there are big rivals like Pecco and Marc and others, but I think we are one of the favorites. Le Mans is a track where things are usually very close. Even ten milliseconds can make the difference So it will be crucial to work on these details and be smart to be in the front row.”
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati): “It’s the second weekend in a row where we’ve hit our stride straight away. Since Jerez we’ve found the right base to work on and that’s helped me a lot to make sure I don’t have to catch up at the weekend . I felt good from the morning session and we continued to perform well in the afternoon; we just made a few tweaks – it’s been a long time since I was last in this situation “Time attack made a small mistake, but I’m still happy. We needed a start like this.”
3. Pedro Acosta (GasGas): “Normally Friday morning is a little more difficult for us because of course we have to start somewhere, but today it was somehow a little easier for us. Yesterday I said that Le Mans is a good track for us, even though I’ve never had great results here “But I think we’ve made a big step compared to Jerez, we’ve made some improvements in the electronics, so we’re really happy with how the day went and we’ll try to move forward tomorrow.”
4. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia): “The feeling with the front tire wasn’t quite optimal, but I was still able to be fast. As far as race pace goes, we’re right there. During my time attack, a yellow flag stopped me from improving my time, but I was still very close I am confident that we will take a step forward tomorrow.”
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46): “A really positive day, especially after the afternoon session. This morning I didn’t ride well, I was nervous, I couldn’t carry out my automatisms. However, in the afternoon we didn’t touch anything on the bike, I was just thinking about riding well without “We were quick, the potential is excellent, both with new and used tires. Overall, the pace is not bad either: we are very close to the top drivers.”
6. Jack Miller (KTM): Statement follows
7. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia): “After Qatar, this was the track where I was fastest. I feel extremely comfortable with the bike. I made a small mistake in my time attack by going wide in turn 9 and losing a few tenths of a second. The feeling is better than I expected. I was fast and competitive from the start.”
8. Franco Morbidelli (Pramac): “Here it was important to get used to the track and the motorcycle quickly, and I’m happy with the work done. We showed a good performance and I’m particularly pleased that I was able to get straight into Q2. I’m up for it “We are focused on the ‘time attack’, which gives me confidence for tomorrow. It is amazing what we can achieve and we are happy with every result we achieve as we constantly strive for improvement.”
9. Marco Bezzecchi (VR46): “I’m happy, we made Q2 for tomorrow. It’s a shame for my last time attack, I chose the medium at the front. However, it turned out that it wasn’t the right decision. I lost something, I’m sorry sorry for the team, but we are definitely in the top 10. A small mistake, the performance of the Hard would have been better at this temperature. However, I have feedback on both mixtures, so it may be easier to make a choice tomorrow “The pace isn’t bad and I’m happy.”
10. Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha): “This top 10 on Friday here at Le Mans feels great. The lap time was good. I pushed myself to the limit. After my first time attack, I think I was already in P8. So I had to push even harder, and I I’ve improved. It was at the limit again. But what’s more important than reaching Q2 is that we’re only about 0.2 seconds away from third place. I think if everything is at 100%, we can to be closer to our opponents. The helmet I presented today was a reason to celebrate with the fans, also to celebrate my extension with Yamaha. I wanted to create something fun and different. And the boots and gloves also look great .
11. Enea Bastianini (Ducati): “It’s a shame we couldn’t finish in the top ten. I was forced to use the softer front tire option in the time attack as – unlike in the morning – I didn’t feel comfortable with the medium compound – but it didn’t go that way , as I had hoped. It’s a shame because we had a good pace. We definitely have to stay focused, work on the little details to improve even further and do our best in the first qualifying.”
12. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse): “The first free practice session was quite difficult for me. I had to understand the bike, the track and the new settings of my electronics. It is the first time that I have ridden the Aprilia motorcycle here at Le Mans and since I have the With no reference points, I basically started from scratch. We had some problems, but the team did a fantastic job and we managed to improve a lot. The pace was strong and I really felt comfortable on the bike for the first time felt good and felt that I can do whatever I want on the bike. I was a little unlucky because in my last practice lap I had a yellow flag and couldn’t improve the lap time, but I was very close and very competitive I can help Aprilia progress, I’m happy and I feel like I succeeded today. It’s obviously a little difficult to realize that I was so close again without going straight into Q2 – less than a tenth behind. but the work we did was great; I think we have room for improvement for tomorrow. Today was good and I’m happy!”
13. Marc Marquez (Gresini): “I never felt comfortable with the setup in the afternoon and we have to react quickly. I don’t really like Q1 and it will be an important but also complicated session. Unfortunately I got a yellow flag during my fast lap attempt and then got one at the last second We made mistakes. We went in the wrong direction with the setup, so there is still a lot to do to be competitive tomorrow.”
14. Alex Rins (Yamaha): “It wasn’t bad. We worked with a different tire strategy than in the previous GPs. After using the medium tire this morning, we went straight to the soft tire to see if we could do laps with this tire during practice We were able to do laps and it wasn’t bad. Certainly the lap time while we were working on the tires wasn’t the best it could have been Traction is quite low. But in the end we are not that far from the top compared to other routes and still have room for improvement.”
15. Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse): “It was a good afternoon in training. I made a few changes to the bike and it was fine. I didn’t feel particularly good with the soft rear wheel, especially in the second run as the tire gave way a lot and I therefore In terms of pace, I was perhaps too conservative in the time attack and in the second stint I started to push and then got the yellow flag on the last lap after I had just given my best in the first sector .So I was disappointed about that because the overall performance is much better, the ideal lap time is much faster, which means we still have room to improve tomorrow. It will be a tough first qualifying, but we have to pass it and ourselves qualify as well as possible.”
16. Augusto Fernandez (GasGas): “After the Jerez test we had a new plan with a different bike setup, so today was about putting that plan into action and problems are not solved in one session, especially because we are coming from a difficult situation.” We need more laps, but the feeling was much better than the last laps today and I’m happy with the work. The bike is a little shorter now so we need to improve the braking and adapt to its responsiveness. We’re working on it and hoping that we are doing much better.”
17. Brad Binder (KTM): “I spent a lot of time on scooters today, on the way back to the pits. Every time I pushed today I fell. It was because of my choice of line. I entered the corner later than all of my teammates. That’s probably why hardly helped.”
18. Joan Mir (Honda): “Super tight lap times today and we’re not there yet, but improving the next second on first is no easy task. We’re working on it and making the most of the package we have this weekend. The key is to focus on the positive and do our best – and that’s what we did today. So let’s keep going.”
19. Alex Marquez (Gresini): “I only managed to do a time attack. We made some adjustments that worked well for us this morning, but not so much in the afternoon. We need to take a step back. I had an idea about the setup that I thought that it could have helped, but it turned out not to be the case. There is scope to do well, but we need a bike that is not so nervous. Q1 is a complicated session and will be like that “Even more demanding for many fast drivers.”
20. Johann Zarco (LCR Honda): “I enjoyed riding on the Le Mans track. I like the track, which is always special. This afternoon we made some changes to the bike that helped us to do consistent laps. I’m trying my Best with the package we have.”
21. Luca Marini (Honda): “We have to focus on getting better this weekend and getting to Sunday’s race in the best possible way. That’s the format in which our year is going and we have to continue to pay attention. Get faster, get stronger. The weather is this weekend nice, it would be great if the situation stayed the same throughout the weekend so we can get most of the work done.”
22. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda): “I had problems today because there was a lack of grip and it’s difficult to find confidence in the bike while riding. We are working on some ideas to make some modifications and improve it.”