22/10/2022

Schrötter fights for row five in Malaysia & Alcoba on row seven

LIQUI MOLY Intact GP rider Marcel Schrötter made it straight through to Q2 at the Sepang International Circuit on Saturday, where he qualified 14th on the grid. Jeremy Alcoba missed the top four of Q1 by nine thousandths and will lead the seventh row into the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Marcel Schrötter continued his good work so far this weekend in Malaysia on Saturday. After the Moto2 field's times in the final Free Practice session in the morning were faster than on Friday, the 29-year-old did brilliantly to secure his place in Q2 Qualifying with ninth place. During the later 15-minute session, he made a pit stop to make the most of a fresh rear tyre. In the end, he only had exactly one flying lap left with it, which was ultimately not quite enough for a further improvement. With a gap of only 0.7 seconds to the top and 14th on the grid, the German was nevertheless not dissatisfied and is in good spirits for tomorrow's 18-lap heat battle from row five.

Jeremy Alcoba had a more difficult Saturday after a promising start on a track that was once again completely new to him. Nevertheless, he improved his time in FP3 and in Q1 qualifying he was still immediately on track to claim one of the top four places for himself with a fast lap. In the end, only Italian Niccolo Antonelli managed to relegate the Spaniard to fifth place, and by just 0.009 seconds. Starting from 19th on the grid, the 20-year-old will lead the seventh row ahead of Celestino Vietti and Marcos Ramirez into his first Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Results

FP3
1. Ai OGURA / JPN / KALEX - 2'06.635
2. Tony ARBOLINO / ITA / KALEX - 2'07.039 (+0.404)
3. Alonso LOPEZ / SPA / BOSCOSCURO - 2'07.086 (+0.451)
4. Augusto FERNANDEZ / SPA / KALEX - 2'07.177 (+0.542)
5. Jake DIXON / GBR / KALEX - 2'07.292 (+0.657)
9. Marcel SCHROTTER/ GER/ KALEX - 2'07.441 (+0.806)
18. Jeremy ALCOBA/ SPA/ KALEX - 2'08.093 (+1.458)

Q1
1. Joe ROBERTS / USA / KALEX - 2'07.062
2. Filip SALAC / CZE / KALEX - 2'07.129 (+0.067)
3. Lorenzo DALLA PORTA / ITA / KALEX - 2'07.204 (+0.142)
4. Niccolò ANTONELLI / ITA / KALEX - 2'07.670 (+0.608)
5. Jeremy ALCOBA / SPA / KALEX - 2'07.679 (+0.617)

Q2
1. Ai OGURA / JPN / KALEX - 2'06.405
2. Tony ARBOLINO / ITA / KALEX - 2'06.488 (+0.083)
3. Aron CANET / SPA / KALEX - 2'06.652 (+0.247)
4. Jake DIXON / GBR / KALEX - 2'06.701 (+0.296)
5. Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / KALEX - 2'06.705 (+0.300)
14. Marcel SCHROTTER/ GER/ KALEX - 2'07.203 (+0.798)

Marcel Schrötter

P14 (Q2) – Row 5 - 2'07.203 (+0.798)

"As for the number of laps, we knew that we would have roughly two full laps plus a maximum of one with a stop in between, but it's almost impossible to get faster on the second lap because the grip conditions change significantly, so our plan was to bang out a strong time right at the start. I noticed on the one lap on the used front tyres, that they offer more grip for the one lap because they are so hard. Unfortunately, they then degrade quickly and maintain their performance, but a second top time is still difficult to set. You notice this extra grip immediately in such hot conditions, but I tried everything but was then two or three-tenths slower. Still, it wasn't a bad time, but there was just something missing. I felt much more uncomfortable with the track conditions in the heat because the grip decreases so noticeably. I struggled to keep control of the bike in some corners. That was a bit unexpected, unfortunately, but overall it's been a good weekend so far. Actually, it's exactly what I set out to do: take a more controlled approach and improve bit by bit. It's a pity that it was only enough for 14th place on the grid, but we are 0.7s behind the top and that on such a long track. All in all, that's a lot better than the last few weekends. Still, today's qualifying gives us a chance to deliver a good race tomorrow and I think we need to continue like that. For Sunday, we will certainly take a closer look at the data and decide what and if we change anything."

Jeremy Alcoba

P5 (Q1) – Row 7 - 2'07.679 (+0.617)

"Today was actually a difficult day after I struggled a lot throughout the entire sessions. After all, the time that we set is not so bad considering the lack of feeling that I had on the bike. Unfortunately, we are too far off the fast guys which is why I tried to study them and understand what option we would have for tomorrow. Sadly, I am not 100 percent sure yet, especially about our pace. The tyre drops a lot but some front guys can easily ride more strong laps than me. Let's see what we can do but I am not fully convinced yet. The race is always different and I will, as always, give my absolute best."

Pictures Malaysia

Back