Misano Adriatico (Italy) (AFP)

Fabio Quartararo set his mark on Friday during the first free practice of MotoGP San Marino by setting the fastest time in free practice, the Yamaha showing themselves to their advantage on the Italian circuit of Misano.

The young Frenchman, on a machine from the SRT satellite team, beat the Spaniard Maverick Vinales on a factory machine while his teammate at SRT, the Italian Franco Morbidelli, is 3rd.

"I'm glad I didn't have any brake problems," said Fabio Quartararo after they had handicapped him in the two previous races.

"We have a very good bike but not the best," he said.

"But I'm happy to be first in free practice because it has been a while since I was and it always feels good to see his name at the top."

The speed of the Yamaha bodes well for Quartararo who is looking for this 6th Grand Prix of the year to consolidate his lead in the world championship.

She is currently only 3 points behind the Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) who could not do better than the 11th combined time of the two sessions contested under a bright sun and strong heat.

Behind the leading trio follow two KTMs and a 4th Yamaha, that of veteran Valentino Rossi, 41, who is racing in Misano a few kilometers from his home.

The speed of the Yamaha bodes well for Quartararo who is looking for this 6th Grand Prix of the year to consolidate his lead in the world championship.

She is currently only 3 points behind the Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) but the latter could not do better than 11th in the combined times of the two sessions.

- KTM on the lookout -

As for Johann Zarco, he only obtained the 14th time on the Ducati of the client team Avintia.

"It has a good start today," he said, however, indicating that he had suffered from his wrist fracture suffered a few weeks ago.

He also said he was embarrassed by the bumps on the circuit but added that he thought it possible to qualify in the top ten on Saturday.

The Frenchman needs good results in the next races if he is to get the saddle that Dovizioso will release next year in the Ducati factory team.

A decision should have been announced in Misano, but Italian team officials have decided to postpone it for at least two weeks to gather more data on the potential drivers.

Besides Zarco, the names of the Italian Francesco Bagnaia, who races for the customer team Ducati-Pramac, or the Spaniard Jorge Martin, currently in Moto2, are put forward.

Martin had to skip the San Marino GP after testing positive for the coronavirus and Bagnaia is just recovering from an injury and only resumes competition this weekend.

The KTMs, which reveal themselves this season and have already won two races, have ambushed themselves behind the Yamaha.

"The feeling with the bike is very good and it seems that we are well positioned for the weekend," said Pol Espargaro, 4th fastest on Friday.

To believe him, the Austrian machines work "better and better" as evidenced by the presence on Friday of four of them in the top ten.

The winner of the recent Styrian GP, ​​Portuguese Miguel Oliveira (KTM-Tech3), judged that the new surface of the circuit, while offering more grip, was quite bumpy but that "KTM also makes motocross machines" and could live with it.

Marc Marquez, the defending champion and six-time world champion in the queen category, is still excluded from the circuits due to a fractured right arm suffered during the first race of the season.

These free practices were also held in front of a few thousand spectators respecting strict sanitary conditions.

All rounds of the championship had so far been held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus epidemic.

© 2020 AFP