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Rookies rule Mugello Friday

Marquez was only 6th quick
Marquez was only 6th quick

Not many would have predicted a Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) top two at the end of the first two Free Practice sessions at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, but that’s exactly what happened at Mugello. The Italian and Frenchman making it the first time in over 11 years that two rookies have ended a MotoGP™ day quickest, Jorge Lorenzo and James Toseland the duo to last do it in Qatar 2008 qualifying.

Before the rookies came to the fore, it was Championship and Italian GP FP1 leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) who was sat at the top of the times for most of FP2. Every rider apart from LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) had improved on their FP1 times with just under 20 minutes to go but as is accustomed in MotoGP™ FP2, most of the action came in the final ten minutes.

Aforementioned, Marquez sat at the top of the tree and it was a quintet of Ducatis who were his closest challengers, before Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales jumped into the top four. Fellow Yamaha rider Quartararo then went to P3 as the timing screens lit up with personal best and session best times. Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) then went P1 before Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro stuck in the first 1:46 of the weekend.

Mugello Combined Free Practice Classification

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Bagnaia Francesco 63 ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'46.732
2 Quartararo Fabio 20 FRA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 0.046
3 Petrucci Danilo 9 ITA Mission Winnow Ducati Ducati 0.131
4 Espargaro Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.234
5 Vinales Maverick 12 SPA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 0.241
6 Marquez Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.330
7 Rins Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.435
8 Crutchlow Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda Honda 0.438
9 Miller Jack 43 AUS Pramac Racing Ducati 0.453
10 Morbidelli Franco 21 ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 0.536
11 Dovizioso Andrea 4 ITA Mission Winnow Ducati Ducati 0.615
12 Zarco Johann 5 FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.687
13 Pirro Michele 51 ITA Mission Winnow Ducati Ducati 0.689
14 Nakagami Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda Honda 0.751
15 Mir Joan 36 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.847
16 Espargaro Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 0.880
17 Rabat Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 0.954
18 Rossi Valentino 46 ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 0.994
19 Iannone Andrea 29 ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 1.155
20 Lorenzo Jorge 99 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1.382
21 Abraham Karel 17 CZE Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 1.414
22 Syahrin Hafizh 55 MAL Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 1.764
23 Oliveira Miguel 88 POR Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 2.182