The Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider set the eighteenth fastest time in qualifying with teammate Franco Morbidelli in nineteenth position on the grid.

Heavy rain made conditions unrideable just as Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Franco Morbidelli and Tom Luthi took to the Sepang Circuit for qualifying. After a long delay the session resumed on a wet track.

Tom Luthi opened the day in 21st position in FP3 in dry but overcast conditions. In the slippery and difficult conditions for qualifying Luthi set the 18th fastest time before sliding off as he tried to improve at the end of the session. Luthi’s time of 2’14.843 secured 18th on the sixth row of the grid.

Franco Morbidelli was 10th in the morning FP3 session and primed for a strong run in qualifying before the wet weather intervened. Unfortunately Morbidelli could not capitalise on his pace in the difficult conditions but was able to gain a valuable insight into the set-up both dry and wet track for the race.

The time schedule for Sunday has been revised because of the forecast of inclement weather with the warm-up now at 8:40am and the 20 lap race, which is round 18 of the MotoGP world championship, scheduled for 1pm.

Tom Luthi: 18th, 2’14.843, +1.532, 31 laps, 171 km

“A pity I crashed otherwise qualifying could have been better””

“It was good day. In qualifying I was quite fast but then made a small mistake and crashed which is a pity because otherwise it could have been better. But I’m still the fastest of the other Hondas which is not too bad.”

Franco Morbidelli: 19th, 2’14.994, +1.683, 34 laps, 188 km

“I’m quite happy because the feeling on the wet was good”

“I had good FP4 session today with a decent pace but then in qualifying we made the wrong tyre choice and I wasn’t able to be faster. It was unfortunate but I’m quite happy because the feeling on the wet apart from lack of grip was good. Let’s see what the weather brings tomorrow, we will try to react according to the weather.”