Gonzalez and Yamanaka in pole position under the floodlights of Lusail

Medium SC2 compound tyres to be preferred for the races
 
“Compared to last season, this year we arrive in Lusail a month later and the sessions and races are held two hours later to meet the shift to daylight saving time in many countries. Racing in mid-April instead of mid-March, asphalt temperatures are on average 10 degrees Celsius higher in the afternoon sessions with a considerable temperature variation: about 20 degrees of difference in the asphalt right between the first sessions, such as FP1 and FP2, and the evening ones, i.e. practice, qualifying and races. This affects the behaviour of the tyres, especially at the front. In fact, with the higher asphalt temperatures in the early afternoon sessions, the soft SC1 compounds show good performance, while at night the lower temperatures, combined with the high humidity, accentuate the levels of wear, making the options in the medium SC2 compound more competitive, especially in terms of race distance. This is an important aspect that teams and riders will have to consider for tomorrow’s races, taking as a reference above all the results seen in practice on Friday evening – the most representative session of the race conditions. We believe that the medium SC2 is, in both classes, the most suitable option at the front and, in the case of Moto3, also at the rear, because it has shown lower wear with the lower temperatures and humidity of the evening. Those who want to risk the SC1 to have an advantage at the start can do so considering the fact that they will then be called upon to manage the tyre in the second part of the race. In Moto2 the riders will be able to pair the front SC2 with the rear soft SC0 which is undoubtedly the most suitable choice”.