Álex Márquez topped the first free practice session of the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix. This morning’s session at Jerez saw the Márquez brothers in the top two positions, in a session where times are not a priority.
Continuing the work from Austin, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) was the initial session leader, but the standings quickly changed as Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) climbed to the top, with Raúl Fernández (Trackhouse Racing/Aprilia) in second. The #25 was then surpassed by other riders, including Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati), who positioned himself in second.
The Márquez brothers reinforced the top two positions, while Viñales was third ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati). Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), the two-time champion, hadn’t set a lap time at this point, only going out on track after about a quarter of an hour.
Morbidelli later surpassed Viñales to move into third, a situation that lasted for several minutes. Changes in the top five occurred less than six minutes from the end, when Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) moved ahead of Viñales to become the new fifth-placed rider. The winner of the Americas GP later climbed back to third.
In the final minutes, Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) secured fourth, pushing Morbidelli down to fifth. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati) finished sixth, while Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM) claimed seventh, being the best KTM rider. Championship leader Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) clocked the ninth fastest time, while Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), the champion of the last two years, ended up in 12th place.
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