Stefan Bradl starts his second Grand Prix as an HRC wildcard rider
HRC MotoGP test rider Stefan Bradl began preparation for his second round of the season as an HRC wildcard rider, his first appearance in the role having been at the Czech Grand Prix in August. In reality, this will be the third race aboard an RC213V this year for Stefan, who also replaced fellow Honda rider Franco Morbidelli at the German GP.
The former Moto 2 World Champion set the 20th fastest lap time in the FP1 session at 1’34.584” and proceeded to improve his performance by almost a second in FP2, ending 19th fastest at 1’33.660”.
Stefan Bradl
“Conditions are quite different compared to the test we had here two weeks ago, and we used a different front tyre. In the afternoon we had to limit the use of the tyre I preferred in order not to run out of them. In FP2 we actually made a positive step forward in terms of lap time and race pace but not as much we hoped, as I was missing a bit of confidence, especially on the left side of the front tyre, something we hadn’t previously experienced. We need to adjust the setup a bit. We compared a few things from FP1 to FP2. We have to find the best package for tomorrow, and I’m optimistic we may improve.”
