Unexpected outcome in the first qualifying session of the Catalunya MotoGP at Barcelona. Fabio Di Giannantonio was the leader with a new record lap, while Raúl Fernández also made it through… unlike, among others, Marc Márquez and Miguel Oliveira.
After the initial attempts, Raúl Fernández (Trackhouse Racing/Aprilia) and Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) were in qualifying positions, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) close behind in third.
The standings remained the same after the second flying laps for the top three, but Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) moved up to fourth place.
With just over two minutes left on the clock, Fernández surprised with another record lap, while Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing/Aprilia) moved up to second. Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati) took third. Marc Márquez improved to second place.
Di Giannantonio beat Fernández with another record lap, but both advanced to Q2. This left Marc Márquez in third, but he would later drop down: Álex Márquez overtook his brother right at the end, pushing him to fourth in Q1 and 14th on the starting grid. Oliveira could only manage fifth, corresponding to 15th on the starting grid.
