Castrol Honda LCR’s Johann Zarco fronts the MotoGP pack after a mixed conditions Day 1 plays out at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Brazil, in a rain-affected afternoon stint that saw Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) round out the top three, with Thai GP winner Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) heading for Q1 after a P20 finish on Friday.
RAIN, RAIN, STAY AWAY
It was dry, but for how long? There was no hanging about at the start of MotoGP Practice in Brazil with a looming threat of rain, and the slick tyre time attacks were slammed in right at the top of the session. Damp patches and a light drizzle made conditions far from ideal, and it caught out a few riders in the early running.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed very soon into the session at Turn 4, with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and home hero Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) also suffering similar incidents at the same corner while the heavy rain steered clear.
Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Marc Marquez were doing the early running at the timesheet summit, before Zarco pounced to go P1 with a 1:21.257. It was a real battle to get into the top 10 in the opening half an hour, with rookie Razgatlioglu arguably impressing the most. The Turk climbed to P3 behind Zarco and Marc Marquez, ahead of Martin and World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and then the downpour came.
With around 30 minutes of Practice left, heavier rain sprinkled the Autodromo Internacional de Goiania – Ayrton Senna, and that meant anyone needing an improvement would be left disappointed – including Bezzecchi, who was sitting in P20 when the wet weather arrived.
The Italian was the first rider back out on track in the final 10 minutes once the weather had eased somewhat, and the Thai GP winner was lapping on slick tyres too in an attempt to try and scramble his way into the top 10. However, as expected, an improvement wasn’t coming. After running wide on the entry into Turn 10, Bezzecchi pulled back into the box and it looked like that was all she wrote in terms of the automatic Q2 places. And the same can be said for Thailand's double podium finisher Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) - the #25 was outside the top 20 on a disappointing day for half of the RS-GP fleet.
YOUR BRAZIL TOP 10 ON FRIDAY
So behind the top three of Zarco, Marc Marquez and Razgatlioglu, we have Martin and Acosta, with Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) completing the top six. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) makes it two Yamahas inside the top 10 in P7, the Frenchman will be pleased with that, and chapeau to eighth place Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). No pre-season testing. Still needing crutches to get around. And he sticks his Ducati in P8 in very tricky conditions. Impressive.
The 2025 Rookie of the Year sails into Q2 ahead of ninth place Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), with Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) the final rider who will sleep a little easier tonight knowing they’re safely into the pole position shootout in Goiania.
COMING UP: TISSOT SPRINT SATURDAY IN BRAZIL
A mixed conditions opening day back in Brazil has set us up very nicely for the second Tissot Sprint Saturday of the season. The weather is set to play a huge factor again in qualifying and in the dash for a gold medal, so be sure not to miss a single second of action at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
MotoGP Brazilian GP Practice results!