Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin proved he means business as the 2023 title race continues its rollercoaster course at the MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The Spaniard stamped his authority on Friday morning's proceedings as his 1:29.039 saw him 0.720s clear of the chasing pack, although they were headed by a stunning performance from rookie Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) in second. It was no surprise that Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) kept himself towards the top end of the timing screens as the Spaniard's smooth riding style worked perfectly with the fast-flowing nature of the Philip Island circuit to take P3 in the morning.
The first to throw a fresh soft tyre at it! 🔥@88jorgemartin just misses out on the first 1:28 of the weekend! 💨#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/GiWYF90J94
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 20, 2023
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also enjoyed a positive start to his weekend as he just missed out on the top three in P4. The South African finished just ahead of Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) who's keeping his name well in the mix in P5. Although recovering, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) is still riding injured and found himself 1.395s off the pace as he took P6. The Italian set an identical lap time to his fellow Ducati rider Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) who bagged P7 after he was passed fit on Thursday.
An early spill for @marcmarquez93! 💥
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 20, 2023
He loses the front at Turn 10! Rider OK! 👍#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/ESGbVAd2Tf
Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was 1.414s back from the top spot as he took 8th place ahead of what continues to be a positive return to action for Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) in P9. Aprilia Racing's Aleix Espargaro rounded out the top ten, with Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) only managing P11 as he sits almost 1.5s adrift of his title rival.
There are Q2 spots up for grabs later on as Practice for MotoGP™ is set to commence at 15:00 local time (GMT +11). With the title battle heating up, make sure not to miss any of the action on motogp.com!
| 1 | Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) | 1:29.039 |
| 2 | Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) | +0.720 |
| 3 | Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) | +0.738 |
| 4 | Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | +1.246 |
| 5 | Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) | +1.272 |
| 6 | Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) | +1.395 |
| 7 | Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | +1.395 |
| 8 | Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | +1.414 |
| 9 | Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +1.425 |
| 10 | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) | +1.441 |
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