Having announced his retirement yesterday, today Espargaro put himself ahead of everyone in the official MotoGP tests on Friday in Barcelona, valid for the Catalan GP. Acosta did well, third but above all very fast with used tyres, and Bagnaia, best Ducati rider with the fourth fastest time. Twelfth is Marc Marquez, who finishes in Q1 despite a weekend that started with the second time in FP1.
The home weekend starts off well for Aleix Espargaro, who announced his retirement just yesterday on the eve of the Catalan GP from racing (but not from MotoGP). The Aprilia Captain has in fact placed the new track record in the official practice sessionheld in the afternoon at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. 1’38”562 was the time set by Aleixa tenth better than the previous record set by Bagnaia in 2023 qualifying. Behind the Catalan were two riders on KTM RC16: Brad Binder, second seven cents riding the official oneand Pedro Acosta, third a tenth of a second aboard the GASGAS Tech3 RC16. The #41 also showed a good pace on used tyres, lapping at 40″2, but Acosta did even better, even lapping at 40″0 on used tyres..
Positive day for the Austrian manufacturer, which thanks to the fifth place by Jack Miller manages to place three drivers in the Top5, while being strangely hidden Ducati, which in the afternoon did not go beyond the fourth fastest time thanks to Bagnaia, who stops less than a tenth and a half behind Espargaro. And they are strangely few Ducatis were in the Top 10 at the end of the official tests and therefore promoted directly to Q2, e all GP24: in addition to #1, there are Martin and Morbidelli, 6th and 7th respectively, and Bastianini, eighth. Closing out the Top 10 is in fact a Yamaha rider, who is a bit of a surprise Alex Rins author of the ninth timeAnd Maverick Viñales which finishes in tenth position with the second official Aprilia.
The first excluded from Q2 are the Marquez brothers, who will have to sweat it out in a decidedly crowded Q1. In particular, Marc’s performance was negatively affected, as he was twelfth despite a weekend that started with the second time in FP1.
