Francesco Bagnaia didn’t have the best possible Friday at the Valencia MotoGP. The Ducati rider, who leads the championship, staying outside the top ten in practice, forcing him to go through the first qualifying.
The Italian finished 15th in this afternoon’s session at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, 0.659s behind the leader Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) and more than two-tenths off the direct qualification zone for Q2.
Never among the fastest throughout the session, Bagnaia was also hampered on his final lap by yellow flags caused by Pol Espargaró’s (GasGas Tech3/KTM) crash, preventing him from improving his time.
In Q1, the defending champion will face strong opposition, including Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati), Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati), and even the Monster Energy Yamaha duo, Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, among others.