The Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider posted the thirteenth fastest time in qualifying with teammate Tom Luthi qualifying in twenty second position.

As Buriram track temperatures soared to 52 degrees Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Franco Morbidelli and Tom Luthi went out for qualifying for the inaugural Thailand GP.

Franco Morbidelli set a strong platform by completing both FP3 and FP4 in 12th position. That impressive pace continued in QP1 with the Italian rider pushing hard for a top ten and progress to QP2. He missed by just two thousandths of second with his best lap of 1’30.923 putting him 13th on the fifth row of the grid.

For Tom Luthi it was day of steady progress with 19th place in FP3 and then moving forward two spots to 17th in FP4. Luthi anticipated a stronger run in qualifying but could not capitalize on an improved set-up but is confident of a solid pace in the race.

The Sunday morning warm-up will be at 9:40am with the 25 lap race which is round 15 of the MotoGP world championship set to start at 2pm.

Franco Morbidelli: 13th, 1’30.923, +0.892, 45 laps, 202 km

“I am aiming for a top ten in the race”

“A good day for me. I was close to the top ten in FP4 and just missed by two thousandths to be in the top 12 and go to QP2. I have a good race rhythm so I’ll try and go with the top guys at the start and aim for the top ten and score some good points. The conditions are very hot and not easy but it is the same for everyone.”

Tom Luthi: 22nd, 1’31.830, +1.799, 41 laps, 184 km

“I have a good race pace on the hard rear tire”

“After the good result in FP4 on a hard rear tire I was quite motivated for qualifying because with the better grip from the soft tire I thought I would be faster. But I could not transfer that pace into a lap time so my position is a little frustrating. But the race pace is good after we found a better feeling with the bike in FP3 so that is a positive sign for the race.”