Until a final charge from Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) at the end of FP2, Movistar Yamaha rider Maverick Viñales looked poised to pull out a surprise on Friday in the Austrian GP by going quickest. After being deposed late on, the Spaniard was instead second - but showed good pace to back up the good position.
Last season, it was Yamaha closest to Ducati at the venue and Viñales' first foray on track in blue saw that trend continue for 2017 so far. And although the premier class largely avoided the rain on Friday, Saturday morning could see the heavens open once again - putting Viñales in a strong position for automatic graduation to Q2 should the weather set in. His key concern is acceleratiom ad electronics, but he nevertheless felt good on the bike again after also leaving the Brno test with glowing reports.
Maverick Viñales, P2: “We are really pleased because we started to feel good again. Today I think we did a really good job; I was feeling really good on the bike, especially after the Brno test. I think it’s really important to improve the electronics and the acceleration, as here it is really important."