Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales has gone fastest in the MotoGP™ Warm Up at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, while his pole-sitting team-mate Aleix Espargaro had a late crash. Viñales set a 1:40.135 midway through the 20-minute Sunday morning session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and Espargaro took fifth thanks to a 1:40.367 which he had clocked a few minutes later. However, the rider who reset the All Time Lap Record twice on qualifying day has reason to be nervous heading into the 24-lap race after he tucked the front of his RS-GP and went down at Turn 5 in the final minutes of the Warm Up – rider okay.
It's still an Aprilia at the top but this time it's Maverick! ????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) June 5, 2022
Is today finally the day we see Mav stand on the podium with Aprilia?! ????#CatalanGP ???? pic.twitter.com/n7LvfY4jr1
Splitting the two Aprilias on the timesheet were the two Ducatis out of Gresini Racing MotoGP™ and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins. Enea Bastianini, who will be looking to make up ground from 14th on the grid when lights go out, was just 0.006 seconds off the pace having set a 1:40.141, while Fabio Di Giannantonio clocked a 1:40.248 and Rins a 1:40.361. There was good news out of LCR Honda Castrol as Alex Marquez, who missed Q1 after a nasty FP4 crash, was declared fit and set a 1:40.698 which was good enough for 11th-fastest in the Warm Up. Ducati test rider Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing) tucked the front of his Desmosedici at Turn 2 but he walked away and would be classified 22nd on the timesheet.
That's the first mistake @AleixEspargaro has made all weekend! ????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) June 5, 2022
The polesitter and pre-race favourite slides out at Turn 5! ????#CatalanGP ???? pic.twitter.com/Xe0dTc1Ktn