Francesco Bagnaia set the best time in the Friday afternoon practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Italian sets a new lap record in Jerez in 1’36.025, ahead of Spaniards Maverick Viñales and Marc Marquez. Johann Zarco (18th) and Fabio Quartararo (20th) are not in the top-10 directly qualifying for Q2.
Francesco Bagnaia said it before arriving in Jerez: he won here in 2022 and 2023, and wants to make the pass of three. The double MotoGP world champion perfectly masters the secrets of the Andalusian track and he was reminded of this on the first day of the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. Timed in 1’36.025, he finished at the top of the timesheet, beating the absolute circuit record in the process… which he already held.
Winner in Austin ten days ago, Maverick Vinales confirms its current form by finishing 2nd, one tenth behind Pecco. Marc Marquez, who fought for a long time to finish in the lead, finished 3rd at 0.143s but also established himself as a contender for victory. With Marco Bezzecchi 4th and Jorge Martin 5th, four Ducatis are in the top-5.
Best KTM rider of the day, the rookie Pedro Acosta is in 6th place and continues to impress the MotoGP world. He narrowly beats the veteran Aleix Espargaro (7th) and Enea Bastianini (8th). Fabio di Giannantonio (9th) and Alex Marquez (10th) complete the top-10. This means that 7 of the 10 machines going straight into Q2 are Ducatis.
The repechage session promises to be competitive since it will include the official KTMs of Brad Binder (11th) and Jack Miller (13th), but also that of the test pilot The days of Pedrosa (14th). All three men fell during the session. Franco Morbidelli (12th) is not far from the top-10 and will also be one of the favorites for Q1.
The “Japan Cup” is won today by Alex Rins, 15th and first among riders equipped with a Japanese motorcycle. He does better than his teammate Fabio Quartararo, 20th after falling. The poor performance of the Niçois allows Johann Zarco, 18th, to finish best French driver.
Jerez (Spanish GP) – MotoGP Testing:
