The Italian responded on Friday afternoon, grabbing top honours ahead of Bezzecchi and Espargaro, while Martin rounded out the top five.
It was the most significant Friday afternoon of the season, filled with high tension and drama throughout the 60 minutes. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) rose to the occasion, finishing at the top of the standings at the Motul Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona. The Italian made a late surge, clocking a sensational 1:38.918 to place ahead of compatriot Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
The #72 completed a strong afternoon, setting the pace early on before improving late and securing second. Meanwhile, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) had a fairytale end to Friday, grabbing third – a mere 0.107s adrift.
There was drama in the opening moments of Friday afternoon, with both Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) suffering separate crashes. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi would leap to the top of the standings, securing P1 after setting a 1:39.829. The Italian placed ahead of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) before the time attacks began.
Time attacks arrived – as usual – in the final 15 minutes of Practice, filling the air with excitement as Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) stole top honours. Viñales would briefly seize P1 before the Martin improved further, throwing down the gauntlet with just 10 minutes remaining on Friday. Then, Johann Zarco executed an incredible final sector, placing his CASTROL Honda LCR in P1 before Bagnaia stole the show on Friday after posting a magnificent time.
Zarco held onto fourth, with the Frenchman completing a positive day for the LCR squad in Barcelona. The #5 was ahead of Martin, with the Championship leader left with work to do after the opening day of the action.
Martin saved a late crash at Turn 5, ending Practice in fifth – safely inside Q2. The Spaniard was 0.296s adrift from his title rival but ended Friday ahead of Viñales, who set over 20 laps across the session.
Further down the order, Gresini Racing MotoGP™’s Alex Marquez took seventh and finished the afternoon ahead of teammate and brother Marc Marquez. The #93 continues his fight for third place in the Championship as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) rounded out the top 10. ‘The Beast’ narrowly avoided a visit to Q1, with a further step to find ahead of Saturday.
After a competitive session, some big names are left with work to do, including Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Binder and Brad Binder. Morbidelli joins the KTM duo in Q1, with the Italian finishing down in 15th after a dramatic session – including a fall at Turn 2. Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) was also outside the top 10, as the #88 made a welcomed return to action – finishing 20th on the opening day.
Join us this Saturday as the world’s most exciting sport returns, with Free Practice 2 kicking off at 10:10 local time (UTC +1), followed by a crucial qualifying at 10:50 (UTC +1) to set the grid ahead of the unmissable Tissot Sprint at 15:00 (UTC +1). Make sure you tune in and be part of the action as we go #RacingForValencia!
Top 10:
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) | 1:38.918 |
| 2 | Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) | +0.080 |
| 3 | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) | +0.107 |
| 4 | Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) | +0.279 |
| 5 | Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) | +0.296 |
| 6 | Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) | +0.306 |
| 7 | Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | +0.377 |
| 8 | Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | +0.443 |
| 9 | Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) | +0.500 |
| 10 | Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +0.549 |
FULL RESULTS!
