Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro set the fastest-ever MotoGP lap at Catalunya for a Friday practice double in Barcelona.
Espargaro, also quickest in FP1, lapped in 1:38.686 in the final two minutes of the 60-minute Practice session in the afternoon to lead team-mate Maverick Viñales by 0.362s in a repeat of Friday morning’s opening session.
World champion Francesco Bagnaia was the top Ducati in third on the factory Desmosedici, only one hundredth-of-a-second adrift of Viñales.
Australia’s Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) were among those riders who finished outside the top ten, missing out on automatic progression to the pole-deciding Qualifying 2 on Saturday.
On a miserable day one for Honda at round 11 of the championship, Marquez was 19th – 1.5s down on Espargaro – with LCR riders Takaaki Nakagami and Iker Lecuona, and Marquez’s Repsol team-mate Joan Mir propping up the bottom of the time sheets in 20th, 21st and 22nd respectively.
Frenchman Johann Zarco was fourth on the Pramac Ducati ahead of Brad Binder on the factory KTM and Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez.
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Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Ducati), Enea Bastianini (Lenovo Ducati) and Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) rounded out the top ten, securing the final places in Q2.
Miguel Oliveira (RNF Aprilia) was fastest after the first 15 minutes with a 1:40.345 as he led Viñales, Binder, Bezzecchi and Zarco, who were covered by only two-tenths.
Di Giannantonio recorded a 1:40.180 to go top on the Gresini Ducati by 0.165s from Oliveira with 40 minutes remaining.
Title leader Bagnaia, who was as low as 20th in the opening half-an-hour, shot to the summit with 34 minutes to go with a lap in 1:40.149, only 0.031s faster than Giannantonio.
Espargaro was 0.115s back in third ahead of Oliveira, Viñales and Binder.
Viñales had a big moment on the exit of Turn 13 moments before Raul Fernandez crashed on the RNF Aprilia at Turn 12. Fernandez made his way back to pit lane and eventually finished the session in 13th.
Marquez, a faller in the morning, was 22nd and last with half an hour to go.
Viñales did a 1:40.095 after fitting a soft rear to take over from Bagnaia by 0.054s with around 25 minutes on the clock.
As the time attacks began in the final 20 minutes, Zarco was the first to put in a hot lap on the Pramac Ducati in 1:40.07 to bump Viñales back to second, with Bagnaia third.
Di Giannantonio then set the fastest lap of the day in 1:39.621, four-tenths quicker than Zarco.
However, Viñales briefly moved top before team-mate Espargaro did a 1:39.389 with 10 minutes left, while Bezzecchi improved to slot into third.
Zarco upped the ante with six minutes remaining with a 1:39.257 to lead Espargaro by a tenth of a second ahead the final runs.
Viñales responded in style and stormed to a 1:39.048 in the last two minutes, but Espargaro found another gear and recorded a new all-time lap record in 1:38.686 to secure the top spot prior to qualifying.
A slew of laps were cancelled at the end due to a yellow flag when Luca Marini appeared to run out of fuel on the VR46 Ducati.
Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Tech 3 KTM) was just outside the Q2 seeds in 11th followed by Miller, Fernandez, Oliveira and Marini.
Quartararo was a lowly 17th on the factory Yamaha ahead of team-mate Franco Morbidelli.
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