Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) kick-started his Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley with a fastest time of 1:47.558 to end MotoGP™ FP1 at the summit, with Mission Winnow Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci and Michele Pirro completing the top three on home soil.
???? @marcmarquez93 is the man to beat at Mugello!
— MotoGP™ ???????? (@MotoGP) May 31, 2019
The world champion leads a pair of Ducati's with @Petrux9 pipping @PirroRider for P2! ????#ItalianGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/DYDQzu3c6h
It was glorious Tuscany weather for the premier class as they went out for FP1 at Mugello and it was the Honda of Marquez who set the pace throughout, eventually beating Petrucci by over a tenth as the factory Ducati man jumped to second on his final flying lap. It was a strong opening session for Ducati test rider Pirro who, while sporting a new rear wheel cover, managed to finish third fastest.
Top rookie Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) seemed to enjoy his first taste of Mugello on a MotoGP™ machine, the Frenchman putting in a couple of late flying laps to end FP1 in fourth as Pirro, Quartararo, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro – the Spaniard suffering a mechanical in FP1 – and Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller all set 1:47.8s as the quartet were split by a slender 0.010.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) took the chequered flag in seventh to head Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow, with Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) having a steady session to finish tenth – 0.656 covering first to tenth. Home hero Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) took P12 in the opening session of the weekend.
Tune in for MotoGP™ FP2 at 14:10 local time (GMT+2).
Top 10:
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) 1:47.558
2. Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) + 0.193
3. Michele Pirro (Mission Winnow Ducati) + 0.246
4. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.253
5. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 0.254
6. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) + 0.256
7. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 0.367
8. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.443
9. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) + 0.551
10. Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) + 0.656
Click here for the full results!