Marc Marquez set the pace on the Gresini GP23 in first practice for the Aragon Grand Prix, but was more than two seconds away from the lap record set at the previous outing in 2022.
Newly sun-kissed MotorLand asphalt provided a radiant and idyllic stage for FP1 at round 12 of 20 in 2024 MotoGP and the third Spain-based grand prix of the current campaign.
Marquez, the rider with the most wins in the 14 editions of the grand prix at the site close to Alcaniz with five MotoGP victories, earned top spot by almost half a second over Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin.
The latter was the first of the 2024-spec factory Ducatis as world champion Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini struggled. Both Italians ran off line or off track several times and Bagnaia’s P21 was his worst FP1 classification of the season, 1.9 seconds away from future team-mate Marquez.
Bastianini completed the most laps with 20 circulations and managed to squeeze into the top 10 with ninth.
Tech3 GasGas’ Pedro Acosta was third fastest, 0.6s off from Marquez and headed another RC16 with Brad Binder capturing fourth, matching his 2022 race result and indicating that the KTMs look more formidable across the greasy tarmac than the Aprilias.
The Italian brand’s prominent runner was Trackhouse rider Miguel Oliveira in seventh. Fabio Di Giannantonio was fifth quickest.
The Italian, one of the better performers on the Ducati GP23 so far this season with five top-five finishes, is nursing a weakened left shoulder after crashing on Friday at the previous grand prix and dislocating the limb.
KTM’s Jack Miller rode to eighth, enforcing the positive start to the day for the Pierer Mobility collective.
Franco Morbidelli sealed the top ten and was the last rider inside the one-second bracket from Marquez. Vinales toiled to 12th but fared better than Aprilia team-mate Aleix Espargaro who was a distant 22nd and last, three seconds off the pace.
Leading spot in the unofficial ‘Japanese Cup’ went to Honda’s Joan Mir, less than a tenth of a second faster than Yamaha’s Alex Rins, who is running a new aerodynamic configuration with the M1 after recent tests at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
