Alex Marquez led Friday practice at Jerez with a 1:36.267 lap, although title contender Pedro Acosta struggled to 15th after a troubled start to qualifying.
The session began with a shock for Ducati as reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia crashed his GP26 on his first flying lap in Turn 1, writing off his primary bike but walking away unharmed. Fabio Di Giannantonio set the early pace with a 1:36.5, ahead of Alex Marquez and Honda’s Johann Zarco and Luca Marini.
Aprilia showed strong pace with Marco Bezzecchi, Augusto Fernandez and Ai Ogura occupying fifth through seventh, a marked improvement from their rear-grid positions in FP1. Marc Marquez opened with a 1:37.2 for eighth, gradually closing to within 0.298 seconds of Di Giannantonio by mid-session.
KTM riders initially faltered, with Enea Bastianini 15th after 15 minutes, but Acosta climbed to fourth with a 1:37.0 before fading. Bagnaia returned on his spare bike and rejoined the top ten, while Quartararo led Yamaha in 12th, 0.69 seconds off the pace.
Toprak Razgatlioglu struggled on his MotoGP debut with Pramac, losing 1.3 seconds to qualify 20th, just ahead of rookie Diogo Moreira. Jorge Martin crashed in the final turn while running 14th, losing valuable track time as he fights to stay within four points of Bezzecchi in the standings.
In the session’s final third, Zarco switched to a soft rear tyre on his LCR-Honda to jump to third, with Joan Mir following in fourth. Di Giannantonio improved to 1:36.267 with 19 minutes left, securing the provisional top spot ahead of Alex Marquez, Zarco, Mir, Marc Marquez, Marini, Acosta, Aldeguer, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia.
Pirelli had delivered the second batch of 80 prototype tyres to Ducati, Aprilia, Yamaha, Honda and KTM earlier in the week, part of the supplier’s development programme for the mandated 850cc era beginning in 2027, when it will replace Michelin as the sole tyre provider.
All manufacturers are advancing private and public tests of their 2027 prototypes, which will feature reduced aerodynamics, banned rider aids and sustainable fuels, with the next official test scheduled for the week after the Jerez weekend at Mugello.
Why did Alex Marquez lead practice but not qualify on pole?
Alex Marquez set the fastest lap in final practice but did not participate in qualifying due to the session structure; only the top ten from combined practice times advanced to Q2, and his position was sufficient for direct Q2 entry.
How significant is Bagnaia’s crash for Ducati’s weekend?
Bagnaia crashed his primary GP26 but returned on a spare bike to finish eighth in practice, indicating no lasting mechanical penalty, though the incident disrupted his preparation and added pressure to perform on backup equipment.
