Jorge Lorenzo was joined with Ducati’s new box-wing fairing by Pramac rider Danilo Petrucci, but second factory-team rider Andrea Dovizioso stuck with the earlier fairing, preferring to keep his options open.
Lorenzo qualified sixth with the aero bike, but Petrucci put the fairing away for qualifying.
Meanwhile, it became clear that Ducati’s hopes of no imitators might be premature.
Although Honda’s new fairings here mean that the factory riders have used up their one-update option, Suzuki and Yamaha have yet to do so.
But Yamaha are poised. A revised fairing is ready for official post-race tests at Brno on Monday. However, if it is not successful, they have the chance for another attempt … the new bodywork only becomes homologated when the rider leaves pit land one a race weekend.
Suzuki also have not yet used their upgrade chance, but no big changes are expected until the flyaway races later in the season.
By Michael Scott
