The battle of Barcelona is underway, and it's shaping up to be an absolute barnstormer! It was utter domination from the Aprilia squad as they took like a duck to water around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) set the fastest time of the session with a stunning 1:39.809 to secure himself the top spot in FP1 of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. Just a whisker away from the all-time lap record, the home hero is looking like the man to beat along with his teammate Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) who joined his compatriot in the top two after the Aprilia duo had dominated the Practice 1 session. Making it a Spanish rider lockout in the top three was Jorge Martin (Prima Prama Racing) who was catching some incredible lean angle onboard his Ducati machine.
These Aprilias mean business! 👊@AleixEspargaro leads a 1-2 from Maverick with @_moliveira88 in the top 6 too! 💪#CatalanGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/LHsO3QYrUT
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 1, 2023
It was looking as if it was going to be a sole Italian manufacturer affair until KTM's Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed the party. The South African put his name into the mix in the final 10 minutes to remind the field he can never be discounted but does sit +1.050s away from the Spanish armada in P4. With the top three in a league of their own, the rest of the field remained locked together as usual with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) rounding out the top five just 0.041s away from Binder. It's the usual story for Pecco as he spent the session working away to perfect his Sunday package.
That's just ridiculous really isn't it 😅@88jorgemartin 🔥#CatalanGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/DR0AnhVl03
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 1, 2023
It was a good session for the Espargaro family as Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) snatched 6th place in P1 to confirm he's back and ready for business - and with extra motivation on home soil! Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team ) was looking strong as he enjoyed life towards the top of the timesheets. The Aprilias are proving to be the package to be on at the flowing Barcelona Circuit as the Portuguese rider ended the session in P7.
Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had a heart-in-mouth moment early on but recovered to put in a strong run in P8. Sporting a new exhaust system, the Italian's teammate Fabio Quartararo showed glimpses of promise despite nearly tucking the front at Turn 1. The 2022 Catalan GP winner started his weekend with a solid top 10 in P9 ahead of his fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing).
Practice for MotoGP™ commences at 15:00 local time (GMT +2) so make sure not to miss any of the action on motogp.com!
Top 10
| 1 | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) | 1:39.809 |
| 2 | Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) | +0.264 |
| 3 | Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) | +0.464 |
| 4 | Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | +1.050 |
| 5 | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) | +1.091 |
| 6 | Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) | +1.108 |
| 7 | Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) | +1.135 |
| 8 | Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) | +1.195 |
| 9 | Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) | +1.202 |
| 10 | Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) | +1.208 |
FULL RESULTS
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