Sam Lowes showed excellent potential on the 1^st day of practice at the Lusail International Circuit, finishing a promising 3^rd while Tony Arbolino was 10^th.

• Friday was the first opportunity for Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino to sample the new track surface at the Lusail International Circuit.
• Track conditions improved massively from P1 to P2, with the fastest times in the evening session, held under the famous floodlights, around 3 seconds quicker than the afternoon.

/// SAM LOWES, 3^rd – 1’58.313

• With the track dusty and dirty during P1, Sam decided to take minimum risk while the surface was cleaned up. He finished the afternoon 18^th but knew there was more to come.
• The 33-year old was immediately competitive in P2. The Briton’s second run was impressive, as he put together six consecutive laps in the 1’58s, while posting the 3^rd fastest time of the day. Sam ended P2 just 0.254s off new lap record holder Fermin Aldeguer.

“I was enjoying myself a lot on track”

“It was a good first day. The conditions changed a lot between the afternoon to the evening. Obviously, it was dusty for the first session so we just stayed on track. But this evening we were fast. I was enjoying myself a lot on track. The team did a good job with the bike, and I felt comfortable. I think we can make a step forward tomorrow. It’ll be hard, because the conditions will be so different in P3. We worked hard in P2 and did a lot of laps. I’m happy with that. I’ve had a better first day here than the last few weekends. This track suits my style, I enjoy it and let’s try and improve tomorrow. I want to thank the team for the good job they did today.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO, 10^th – 1’59.112

• Like his team-mate, Tony didn’t take any unnecessary risks on a dirty track in P1, a session in which he posted the 23^rd fastest time while complaining of a total lack of grip.
• The Italian’s feelings were much improved in P2 when he quickly featured in the leading places. Tony’s best time in the evening was a massive 5.7s faster than his best effort set during the afternoon as he finished 10^th overall.

“We’re not far away”

“The first day’s done here in Qatar and I had a good feeling in P2 – much better than in P1. We’re getting there in terms of our feeling on the bike. I’m hoping we can improve a few things with our set-up for tomorrow. But we’re not far away. We have the impression there is a good chance of us having a strong weekend here. In fact, I’m sure about it! So, we’ll just keep going, looking where we can improve and be ready for qualifying tomorrow!”