Marc Márquez has positioned himself as a favorite for the MotoGP Aragon GP. This Friday, the Gresini rider led the practice session at MotorLand Aragón, making history as the first (and so far only) rider to lap in the 1m45s at that circuit.
The first leader was Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM), who on his first lap was 0.748s faster than Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) – who, on his second lap, reached the top of the timesheet. Acosta was then overtaken by Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati), who became the next leader.
Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) moved into second, Acosta improved to third, and Pertamina Enduro VR46 reached the top five with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi. Shortly after, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) significantly improved and beat Miller to take second place.
A surprise came 20 minutes before the end when Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) moved up to second place. However, Marc Márquez maintained nearly a half-second advantage.
🚀 @JohannZarco1 up to second!
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 30, 2024
Great job from the Honda rider! 👏#AragonGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/eDTsfuG8yQ
The final 12 minutes brought important changes. Acosta was just 0.099s behind Marc Márquez. Viñales moved up to third, Zarco dropped to fourth, and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) entered the fight for the top positions… as did Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia), who was just 0.025s behind Marc Márquez in second.
The eight-time world champion further improved his time to extend his lead, while Espargaró was overtaken by Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati). Espargaró briefly dethroned Marc Márquez by 0.311s with a new lap record, but the #93 quickly reclaimed the top spot.
Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati), Raúl Fernández, and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing/Aprilia) also impressed, making it into the top ten. Marc Márquez maintained the lead, becoming the first rider in history to lap in 1m45s (1m45.801s) at MotorLand Aragón. Aleix Espargaró finished second, 0.272s behind, Viñales was third, and Martín ended up fourth ahead of Álex Márquez.
The FIRST-EVER 1:45 lap of MotorLand Aragon! 🚨@marcmarquez93 makes history! 🔥#AragonGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/yL20Bzu0Fm
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 30, 2024
Bagnaia finished sixth, Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati) set the seventh fastest time, Zarco secured a spot in Q2 with eighth place, while Raúl Fernández and Oliveira completed the direct qualifying zone. KTM was left out of the top ten, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) finishing 11th, just 0.029s behind Oliveira. A crash by his teammate, Jack Miller, in the final moments, prevented some riders from improving, including Enea Bastianini (Ducati), who ended up 15th.
Timesheets:
The 93 paints a clear picture as the pressure turns up a notch tomorrow ⚠️
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 30, 2024
And great work from Aprilia to get all four of their bikes into the top 10! 👏#AragonGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/deNPbUkZjV
