The opening day of track action at the inaugural PTT Thailand Grand Prix has taken place, and former Grand Prix rider Alex De Angelis gives us his five keys for the rest of the weekend:
1. Lorenzo’s physical condition
"It was a very bad crash for Lorenzo, the second in the row. I wish it was not bad. Because it is very easy for him to have lost the feeling with the bike. It will be necessary to see his physical condition, this track requires a lot of effort because of the heat."
2. Positive day for Yamaha
"The performance of Viñales as Valentino is truly positive. I would speak of the excellent performance of Yamaha in general but I think that once again they do know very well what has happened. I saw that they also brought in a new fairing. I don’t know if it went well or badly, but without this the bike is good."
3. Dovizioso looking strong
"I was on the track to follow the Free Practice sessions. I saw Dovizioso in the slow turns, he has an impressive speed. His corner exit it is really incredible, the Ducati has a lot of power. This aspect can help him in the race."
4. Marquez the favourite?
"As usual, Marquez didn’t change many tyres during practice. He always used old ones. If his bike is already competitive with the soft rear over race distance, it means he is the favourite. Pedrosa also went strong during Free Practice, so it's Honda that's going well."
5. Credit to Michelin
"I think that Michelin worked a lot after testing to bring the tyres made to measure for this track. Today I have not seen particular problems of tyres. The tyres do not get damaged the different choice depends on the mix of riding style and motorcycle. Congratulations to Michelin for the excellent job."