Xavi Vierge and Isaac Viñales get down to work at Misano

Tech3 Racing Team rider Xavi Vierge got straight to work in the first day at the San Marino Grand Prix as he began preparing for the round 13 battle this weekend.

The 19-year-old leapt into action when FP1 commenced as he embarked on adjusting the setup of his Mistral 610 to suit the twisting Misano circuit. After improving his pace as the session progressed, he set his fastest lap on his last out of 21 that left him just over a second from the top 12. In the afternoon, some handling issues limited his progress however, he dug deep and eventually finished 0.999 back from 10th. The young Spaniard remains confident of bouncing back as he aims to clinch a solid qualifying position tomorrow.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Tech3 Racing Team pit box, Isaac Viñales produced a solid effort as soon as the wheels turned in Misano whilst he started getting ready for the forthcoming 26-lap sprint on Sunday.

The intermediate class rookie began by finishing the opening shakedown only 0.056 behind his teammate as he set his personal best on his penultimate lap out of 17. In the afternoon, the perfect weather conditions continued in San Marino and Viñales got straight back to his schedule as he completed 18 laps.

Yet, similarly to Vierge, he struggled to find a comfortable setup and he will now work with his Tech3 Racing Team to amend the issues as he aims to undertake a positive performance in the qualifying shootout.

Xavi Vierge
“It was a tricky opening to the Misano weekend but I am certain that we can turn things around tomorrow and get back on track. I started FP1 and experienced some small issues on the bike so the team and I worked really hard to resolve these throughout the day, but unfortunately, I still don’t feel completely comfortable. At the moment, we don’t have the setting that we want. However, the Tech3 Team and I will do our best tonight where we will check all of the data so that we can find a solution for the qualifying. I have confidence in the guys and I am sure that we can improve and do a good job in QP. It is important to have a decent grid position for the race as the track is quite narrow and it’s tough to overtake in the first few corners, so let’s see what happens, but I will give it everything I’ve got.”

Isaac Viñales
“It goes without saying that we didn’t have the best of starts today, but we have a plan and I am optimistic that we can improve and then go on to close this weekend positively. The issue that I had was that we couldn’t find a setting that I am fully comfortable with at the moment. I did my best and pushed every lap, but I didn’t have total confidence because I lost the front a few times. Anyway, we will work for tomorrow and I will give it everything that I have got, and I’m sure that we can make some steps forward so that we can get right to where we want to be in qualifying.”

Source: Tech3