The pace in the MotoGP Valencia GP training was truly devilish. The previous circuit record fell considerably, with Maverick Viñales being the fastest. Francesco Bagnaia did not manage to stay in the top ten, so he will have to go to tomorrow’s first qualifying session.
After the first laps, the leader was Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini/Ducati), with Raúl Fernández (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team/Aprilia) in second and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) in third. Di Giannantonio solidified his position, but was then chased by Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati). He was later overtaken by Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati).
After being the first to lap in 1m29s, di Giannantonio further extended his lead. Within the first ten minutes, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) positioned himself in second. By that time, several falls had already been recorded, all without major consequences.
Despite the changes in the table behind him, di Giannantonio continued to prevail at the top, but that changed with 25 minutes to go when Marc Márquez surpassed him. However, the six-time champion of the premier class was quickly overtaken by Martín who was one thousandth faster. With 23 minutes to go, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) set the circuit’s record lap.
Di Giannantonio was only five thousandths behind, and with 17 minutes to go, the top four were within less than a tenth of a second. With 14 minutes remaining, the red flag was shown, as riders like Bagnaia (Ducati) or Martín were getting ready to hit the track. The interruption was caused by debris on the track left by a heavy fall from Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM).
The interruption was very brief. The bar was set high, but more riders improved their times. With two minutes to go, the top six were within 0.089s of each other. Viñales broke the balance by clocking in at 1m29.142s. Martín improved to be 0.147s behind Viñales, who never lost the lead.
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac/Ducati) finished third, with di Giannantonio in fourth and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) in fifth ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM). Also advancing directly to Q2 are Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda), Raúl Fernández, Miller, and Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia).
Among the pilots relegated to Q1 is Bagnaia, who could not go beyond 15th place. The championship leader was one of the pilots affected by the yellow flag in the last minute caused by the fall of Pol Espargaró (GasGas Tech3/KTM).
