MotoGP News: Bagnaia tops Friday practice in Barcelona
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 fellow Italian Marco Bezzecchi. The #72 completed a strong afternoon, setting the pace early on before improving late and securing second.
Meanwhile, Aleix Espargaro had a fairy tale end to Friday, grabbing third – a mere 0.107s adrift.
Further down the order, Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Marquez took seventh and finished the afternoon ahead of teammate and brother Marc Marquez who will ultimately beat his brother. 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.
Barcelona MotoGP – Friday Practice Results
| Pos | No. | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff |
| 1 | 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | 1’38.918s |
| 2 | 72 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +0.080s |
| 3 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +0.107s |
| 4 | 5 | Johann Zarco | FRA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.279s |
| 5 | 89 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +0.296s |
| 6 | 12 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +0.306s |
| 7 | 73 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +0.377s |
| 8 | 93 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +0.443s |
| 9 | 31 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)* | +0.500s |
| 10 | 23 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | +0.549s |
| 11 | 43 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.570s |
| 12 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.838s |
| 13 | 20 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.873s |
| 14 | 42 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.876s |
| 15 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +0.892s |
| 16 | 10 | Luca Marini | ITA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.076s |
| 17 | 33 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.096s |
| 18 | 36 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.207s |
| 19 | 25 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) | +1.221s |
| 20 | 88 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) | +1.486s |
| 21 | 37 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) | +1.717s |
| 22 | 51 | Michele Pirro | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +1.868s |
| 23 | 6 | Stefan Bradl | GER | HRC Test Team (RC213V) | +2.110s |
* Rookie