Stefan Bradl is replacing Marc Márquez at Repsol-Honda in Argentina. “No training on Friday, I’ve been through it all,” said the Bavarian.
Stefan Bradl represented Jorge Lorenzo in the Repsol-Honda team in 2019 when the Spaniard was out of action with a broken thoracic vertebra. In 2020 he replaced Marc Márquez in twelve of 14 Grands Prix, last year twice in Doha and once in Portimão. And now the 32-year-old Bavarian is stepping in for the injured Márquez again at the Autodromo Termas de Río Hondo.
The Honda test rider witnessed a Grand Pix at Motegi in 2019 where Friday practice was cancelled. That’s why Bradl said in Argentina in the evening: “I’ve been through it all. There is absolutely no need to panic. Stay relaxed, that’s my motto.” In addition, Repsol-Honda is not affected by the transport problems. “We have all the freight boxes here,” reported Stefan Bradl.
“I was in Indonesia and saw Marc’s crash in the warm-up there. I was then able to calculate that he might not be able to drive here in Argentina,” said the Honda works driver. “So I wasn’t very surprised when Alberto Puig called me. Actually, it wasn’t planned that I would come to Las Termas and Texas. Because I should have tested again in Jerez in a few days. That was the plan. That would have been Texas weekend. But then it became clear that we had to cancel this test.”
“It’s not an unfamiliar situation for me. I’ve stepped in often enough over the past four years, mostly at short notice. I will try to help the team, »added the Zahlinger, who already competed in Saxony at Marc VDS for Franky Morbidelli in 2018 and then in Sepang and Valencia bel LCR for Cal Crutchlow.
“Of course I would like to score. When you put on your helmet and start at a Grand Prix, that’s when you get motivated,” Stefan knows. “I know the guys in the team. I know what to expect and I want to put in a good performance. On the other hand, I’m aware that it’s not easy to step in at such short notice and deliver a good result, especially with the level of strong riders we have in MotoGP at the moment. You can’t just come here and then easily make it into the top ten.”
Bradl has not raced since the Portimão event on November 7th. Back then, he finished 15th. Marc Márquez also suffered from double vision back then.
“I’ll try to have fun this weekend. It remains to be seen what is possible, »added Bradl. “Saturday will be difficult for everyone involved, but the new schedule is certainly a challenge. The schedule is very tight now, our time on the slopes is limited. You can’t afford to make any mistakes. I just had a quick look at the new plan. It is what it is, it is the same for everyone. It’s fair to the teams still waiting for cargo crates that Friday was cancelled. I’ll go out and try to have fun. I’ve really liked this track in the past. Hopefully the grip level is okay.”
Bradl finished 5th in Las Termas on the LCR-Honda in 2014 and finished 7th in 2016 on the factory Aprilia. That was his last appearance in Argentina.
By the way: In all classes, it will be decided after FP2 who will go directly to Q2. Like FP4, FP3 in MotoGP should serve as a 30-minute test for the race set-up.
The new schedule for the Argentine GP (CEST):
Saturday April 2nd
1.45pm – 2.25pm: Moto3, FP1
2.40pm – 3.20pm: Moto2, FP1
3.35pm – 4.20pm: MotoGP, FP1
4.35pm – 5.15pm: Moto3, FP2
5.30pm – 6.10pm: Moto2, FP2
18.25 – 19.10: MotoGP, FP2
7.35pm – 7.50pm: Moto3, Qualifying 1
8:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.: Moto3, qualifying 2
8.30pm – 8.45pm: Moto2, Qualifying 1
8.55pm – 9.10pm: Moto2, Qualifying 2
21.25 – 21.55: MotoGP, FP3
10:05 p.m. – 10:20 p.m.: MotoGP, Qualifying 1
10:30 p.m. – 10:45 p.m.: MotoGP, Qualifying 2
Sunday April 3rd
2.30pm – 2.50pm: Moto3, warm up
15h00 – 15h20: Moto2, warm-up
15h30 – 16h00: MotoGP, warm-up
5pm: Moto3, Race (21 laps)
6.20pm: Moto2, Race (23 laps)
8:00 p.m.: MotoGP, race (25 laps)