Rins and Quartararo Showcase Progress on Mugello Friday

Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo enjoyed a strong start to the Gran Premio d'Italia this morning, finishing in 9th and 2nd place respectively. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammates were on the hunt for a top-10 result in the afternoon Practice as well. Álex Rins secured 2nd position and a place in tomorrow's Q2 session. Fabio Quartararo missed out by 0.019s. He finished in 11th place and will have to take part in Q1.

The flowing hills surrounding the Autodromo del Mugello were filled with the sound of revving engines today. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo made the most of the data they had gained previously at this track during a private test a fortnight ago. The teammates both showed great speed and pace, but only Rins went on to secure a place on the Q2 entry list, finishing the Practice in 2nd position. Quartararo was in the mix for a top-10 placement, but came just short, leaving him 11th in the results.

Rins was quick to find good speed in the morning session and, despite a crash, finished FP1 in ninth place. The Spaniard proved his pace was not a fluke in the afternoon. With rain predicted around 3-4 p.m., many riders put in an early time attack, and so did the Yamaha man. He was soon in second place in the Practice live timing and held it until the second time attack kicked off at the very end of the session. It had stayed dry, and as Rins prepared for his final bid to enter Q2, he found himself in 11th. He responded with a 1'45.211s, set on lap 22/23, that put him back in second place, 0.273s from first.

Quartararo delighted his fans by showing great form in FP1, securing second place at the end of the session. The Frenchman felt competitive and was keen on keeping the momentum going in the afternoon. After a time attack at the start of the Practice had earned him sixth place, El Diablo went on to work on his bike's set-up, getting it ready for the final hot laps. However, when the majority of the pack headed out of pit lane for their final run with six and a half minutes to go, he found himself in 14th position. His 1'45.480s, posted on lap 19/21, temporarily lifted him into third, but then his rivals' flying laps came in, pushing the number-20 rider to 11th, 0.542s from first. Unable to improve on his next two tries, he will be competing in tomorrow's Q1 session.

The teammates will be back in action for FP2, held tomorrow from 10:10 - 10:40 (GMT +2). The qualifying sessions will follow from 10:50 - 11:30, and the 11-lap Sprint will start at 15:00.