Aleix Espargaro set the early benchmark in opening practice at the Catalan round of the MotoGP World Championship with team-mate Maverick Viñales completing an Aprilia one-two in FP1.
Espargaro and Viñales swapped places at the top throughout the 45-minute session in Barcelona, but it was Espargaro who was quickest overall in the morning stint with a 1:39.890s at Catalunya.
Read More: Michelin Race Guide: MotoGP Catalunya
The British Grand Prix winner recorded his best lap after embarking on a time attack in the final minutes, even though FP1 does not count towards automatic progression to Qualifying 2.
Fellow Spaniard Viñales was 0.264s adrift on the second of the factory RS-GP23 machines, while Jorge Martin was third fastest on the Pramac Ducati, four tenths down on pacesetter Espargaro.
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez was languishing in 21st position as HRC’s struggles continued, with the six-time MotoGP champion crashing out at Turn 5 with five minutes to go.
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Marquez, who lost the front end, was 1.639s off Espargaro’s session-leading lap. The 30-year-old has been linked to the Gresini Ducati team and a sensational partnership with his brother Alex in the latest speculation surrounding his future this week.
Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) and Iker Lecuona – filling in for the injured Alex Rins in the LCR team – were 20th and 22nd as Honda riders filled the bottom three positions on the FP1 leaderboard.
Marquez’s team-mate Joan Mir was the leading Honda man in 17th.
Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder was fourth fastest ahead of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati), who leads the standings by 62 points from Martin after 10 rounds.
The reigning world champion comes into the 11th round in red-hot form after a double last time out in Austria, but Bagnaia has never won in Barcelona, or finished on the podium – a statistic the Italian will be eager to put right this weekend.
Pol Espargaro rounded out the top six in FP1 on the GASGAS Tech 3 KTM ahead of Miguel Oliveira (RNF Aprilia) and Monster Energy Yamaha pair Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo.
Morbidelli ran off the track into the gravel after locking up on the brakes but was able to avoid falling at Turn 4.
Frenchman Quartararo, running a new exhaust, also had a big moment a few minutes later, locking the front into Turn 1 but staying upright.
Aussie Jack Miller was 11th on the Red Bull KTM behind Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati).
Marco Bezzecchi, third in the championship and only six points behind Martin in second, was down in 16th place, 1.495s off Espargaro’s pace.
The Italian put pen to paper on a new deal this week to stay with the VR46 Ducati team next year, turning down the chance of a 2024 factory Desmosedici in the Pramac Team to continue riding for Valentino Rossi.
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