After another impressive improvement in qualifying, Jonas Folger’s Sprint on Saturday afternoon unfortunately came to a premature end after just one and a half laps.
Stepping in for injured Maverick Viñales in the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, Jonas Folger delivered a performance on the second day of the French Grand Prix that mirrored his showing from the previous day. Although he was a good half-second off his lap time in Practice session during this FP2, he found a strong rhythm in qualifying as he battled for grid positions.
KTM’s full-time development rider was already under the 1´32 barrier on his very first flying lap in Q1 and improved his time even further on the following lap. In what is his comeback to the premier class MotoGP™ after a three-year hiatus, the 32-year-old Bavarian proved to be a quick starter during the 15-minute session, as he also went all in on his first fast lap after the pit stop and set a personal best of 1´31.826. This put him just 2.5 seconds behind Marc Marquez’s fastest Q1 time and only one second behind his KTM brand-colleague Brad Binder, who finished second-to-last in qualifying.
The Sprint in the afternoon, which took place in glorious weather and excellent conditions, promised to be an exciting competition. When the starting lights went out, Folger got off to a good start from his position at the back of the field, and by the first lap he was just a hair’s breadth behind the riders in front of him. As the field settled into a line, he began to put pressure on Luca Marini. However, the Italian rider crashed in turn six on the second lap, causing Folger to crash as well. Both riders escaped uninjured.
The Grand Prix will take place on Sunday over 27 laps at the historic Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans. The race starts at 2:00 p.m. CEST. With rain in the forecast, the weather conditions look less favourable than they have been over the past two days in France.
#94 Jonas FOLGER
Red Bull KTM Tech3, KTM RC16
Grid position: 22 / Sprint: NC
«Unfortunately, it was only a short Sprint for me today. But I enjoyed it right up until the crash, which came completely out of the blue. We reviewed the data and found that I didn’t do anything wrong. So, it was probably a combination of various factors. There were a lot of crashes today, which shows just how fine the line can be. In any case, I felt good and thoroughly enjoyed those few laps. I was close to the action and was able to watch the other riders and continue learning what really matters. Of course, I’m disappointed about the early DNF this afternoon, but I’m also satisfied with the progress we’ve made so far, the feeling I have on the bike, and the improvements I’ve achieved. We still have a long way to go, but the positive thing is that I understand the bike and am already riding similarly to the others. It’s great that the team supports me so much and has given me so much help that I can take these steps in a clear direction. Thanks, guys, for your great support.»
#FrenchGP – MotoGP™ Qualifying Results:
1 Francesco BAGNAIA / ITA / Ducati Lenovo Team / Ducati / 1´29.634
2 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Ducati Lenovo Team / Ducati / 1´29.646 +0.012
3 Marco BEZZECCHI / ITA / Aprilia Racing / Aprilia / 1´29.657 +0.023
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22 #94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / Red Bull KTM Tech3 / 1´31.826 (Q1)
#FrenchGP – MotoGP™ Sprint (13 Laps):
1 Jorge MARTIN / SPA / Aprilia Racing / Aprilia / 19´46.830
2 Francesco BAGNAIA / ITA / Ducati Lenovo Team / Ducati / +1.107
3 Marco BEZZECCHI / ITA / Aprilia Racing / Aprilia / +2.786
…
NC #94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / Red Bull KTM Tech3 / KTM
MotoGP™ World Standings:
1 Marco BEZZECCHI / ITA / Aprilia / 108
2 Jorge MARTIN / SPA / Aprilia / 104
3 Pedro ACOSTA / SPA / KTM / 72
…
#94 Jonas FOLGER / GER / KTM
